Author Topic: Losing Weight in 2018  (Read 239437 times)

alsoknownasDean

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2843
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #600 on: March 04, 2018, 04:40:20 AM »
Starting weight: 120.7kg
Last week's weight: 116.1kg
Current weight: 115.9kg

Considering I've been eating some 'naughty' foods over the last few days (this weekend I've had a biryani with curry, a big burger and chips, and ice cream), I'm surprised.

Back on the horse on Monday. I have some ingredients for a nice bowl of chicken and vegetable soup that I'm preparing after work. Not sure how appealing soup will be in a few days when it's warm and sunny here, but we'll see. :)
« Last Edit: March 04, 2018, 04:56:55 AM by alsoknownasDean »

Morning Glory

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4865
  • Location: The Garden Path
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #601 on: March 04, 2018, 05:44:06 AM »
I looked at my weekly averages in the Fitbit app and I am still making progress, just more slowly than I was at first. I lost 2 lbs during the month of February, currently 4.2 lbs above goal, which I would like to achieve by the end of March. I'm focusing most of my effort on cooking healthy meals.

lexde

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2791
  • Age: 34
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #602 on: March 04, 2018, 06:50:39 AM »
2/1/18: 140.2. Going for 5lbs this month.
2/7/18: 138.6 (-1.6)
2/16/18: 137.8 (-0.8 ) 2.4lbs down total.
2/23/18: 136.2 (-1.6) 4.0lbs down this month, on track to hit my 5lb goal!
2/28/18: 135.0 (-1.2) 5.2lbs down this month, met my goal of 5lbs. Next goal is 4lbs for March.
3/4/2018: 135.2 (+.2). 4.2lbs to hit my March goal. “Weight loss isn’t linear” is my mantra right now. The gain could be from a number of things, but I can’t expect those big consistent losses every week so I’m okay with it. Plus, it’s the weekend and I had a very lazy day yesterday. I am going on vacation at the end of this month so I would like to weigh in at 131 when I go.

neophyte

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 631
  • Location: A wretched hive of scum and villainy
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #603 on: March 04, 2018, 07:27:48 AM »
Jan 30:  178
Feb 12:  174
Feb 19:  174
Feb 26:  174
March 4: 173.2

Finally the needle moved again! Finally! Hallelujah. Also, I'm changing my weigh-in day to Sunday. I'm basically 5 lbs down from starting in late January, so if I'm going to meet my 5 lb goal for March I'm going to have to be more dedicated.

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5351
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #604 on: March 04, 2018, 07:41:32 PM »
I lost 2.7 lbs in February. My goal is 4 lbs in March. I have increase my fitness & strength level quite a bit, but haven't noticed a big change in my weight. My clothes are fitting a bit more comfortably. I know that I also need to do a better job of reducing portion size at lunch. I get free lunch at work, and my guess is that the food has more calories than I think it does.

Goals for March are to do another round of 21 Day Fix, run 8 times, and keep my average daily calories 100 /day lower.

Hirondelle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #605 on: March 05, 2018, 03:21:16 AM »
February was horrible for me. No exercise + a 10 day trip to Italy which was awesome but definitely not good for a diet (but with exercise). The week after the trip I felt lazy and a lot of sports classes were canceled due to spring holidays.

Now I'm trying to get back into good eating habits and I dragged myself to the pool for an 800 m swim this morning. Let's start all over again :). Haven't weighed myself in a month as I didn't dare to step on the scale last weekend.

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5581
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #606 on: March 05, 2018, 06:37:33 AM »
I have been on a bit of a roller coaster.  The scales in January were occasionally dipping down to 132.5 pounds after mostly hovering around 134.  Then February went back up with one day hitting 138.5.  I fell into funkland.
This past weekend was sunny and I got outside and started garden dreaming and painting.
The scale this morning was back to 134.  I have determined that I do want to weigh less than I do right now.  I also really need to be more fit to enjoy the summer holiday plans with the family.  So I am going to be more intentional again.

So for accountability:
I want to get to 130 by the July 15. 

LifeHappens

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 12153
  • Location: Tampa-ish
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #607 on: March 05, 2018, 09:30:40 AM »
I'm trying for my first fasting day in almost a month. Yesterday I had a light dinner and have only had coffee so far (it's 11:30am as I type). I find a little activity actually suppresses hunger. I went for a walk first thing this morning and just finished some weed pulling. Feeling good so far.

FamilyGuy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
  • Location: NC
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #608 on: March 05, 2018, 03:58:58 PM »
I want to lose around 20 pounds before 2019 starts.
Right now I average about 188. Should be 168 by Dec 2019.

Action items:
Walking 10k steps every day.
Calorie restrictions to 1500 for most of the days.

SachaFiscal

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 275
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #609 on: March 05, 2018, 08:31:36 PM »

Joining for accountability. Going to finally lose the extra 10-15 pounds I’ve been carrying around for the past 10-15 years. I’d like to lose at least 10lbs by April when I plan to get my cholesterol checked.

My plan is:
- track calories in MFP (1200-1400 per day)
- walk for an hour every day
- Pilates, yoga, Zumba, and spin class each once a week.
- no alcohol until July 4 (doing this with my spouse)
- plant based diet
- no eating out unless invited out with friends until July 4

My spouse is also on board which makes this a lot easier this time.

Starting weight: 135lbs
Goal weight: 120-125lbs

1/1/2018: 135 lbs
1/8/2018: 134.0 lbs
1/15/2018: 134.7 lbs
1/25/2018: 133.0 lbs
2/13/2018: 131.7 lbs
3/5/2018: 129.8 lbs

Haven’t seen 129 in a long time! On the downside I just got my body composition tested with the Bod Pod and apparently I am 45% fat. I’ll get it checked again when I get down to 120.

firelight

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #610 on: March 05, 2018, 11:42:20 PM »
I'd love to join too. I have baby fat to get rid of now that baby is five months old. I'm down 32 pounds from my highest of this year but that includes an 8 lb baby too, haha. I still need to lose 18 lbs for pre pregnancy weight and another 12 for my marriage wedding and another 14 for my ideal weight. I joined in 2017 and found we got pregnant. Hope to finish 2018 at my ideal weight. First goal is to get to pre pregnancy weight by end of March. Second goal is to hit wedding weight by June and to hit lowest weight by end of year (the hardest stretch which I hope to attack with established habits). Let's bring it on!


Like the idea of goals - here are our goals for Jan:
1) 5000 steps per day
2) 6 stairs per day
3) one meal of veggies and fruits only per day
Updating after two days:

I've lost two pounds - I'm sure it's more water weight than actual one but I'll take it :) I've cut out all carbs except for a tiny portion. Surprisingly it's not been that hard to switch. I've also noticed that I eat more sweets now (and ate some ice cream and sweets for new year). I usually hate sweets but developed a liking for them during my second pregnancy and am still holding on to it six months later. Time to kick the habit back to curb. My routine is crazy and I don't have much leeway into building in exercises. The only exercise I get is carrying a 17 lb baby. Has anyone lost weight only with diet changes? How important is exercise in a weight loss journey?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll concentrate on food changes till I can add more exercise in. I especially loved the suggestion to incorporate exercise into play and surprisingly my baby is loving it! I'm now trying to find more ways to add in fun exercise into daily routine.

My weight is down 3 lbs (mostly water weight because low carbs). I don't track my food but try to eat healthy (less carbs, more veggies and fruits) but looking at some of your meals, I think I just eat a lot. I've gotten used to eating more when pregnant (yep, fell for the eating for two advice.... not that I needed lot of encouragement)  and my stomach expects more food. Need to slowly dial down the amount to a normal person's portions.

Does anyone forget you are trying to lose weight? I completely forgot and ate a few cookies. Later when I was checking how I did at end of day, I realized I ate those cookies :( how do I remember all the time?
I'm still losing weight daily (goes to show how much crap I was eating before) but it has slowed down. My eating is still not good enough (I eat a serving of carbs at every course (and a bit more at lunch) and I eat ice cream or sweets because it is at home). My nemesis is sweets and ice cream. I can't resist it when it is at home and I can't stop others at home buying it. To add to the problem, I forget I'm on a diet and eat them. I'm considering figuring what I should eat all day and not eat anything not on that list. Will give it a try for a few days to see if I can continue losing weight.
Still on the losing trend. I was expecting it to stop since my activity level hasn't increased much and my eating is still not perfect. I don't count calories or have a chance to weigh  food since I don't cook or shop (visiting in-laws for a few months). I'm trying to eat healthier (less carbs, more fruits vegetables and protein - egg, fish, chicken) and reduce sweets (take smaller portions, being selective in what I eat). My culture (Indian) shows love through food, especially sweets. So every visit (even when visiting parents every day) leads to more sweets and hurt egos if we don't eat the sweets. So far portion control has been the key. I can't believe how much crap I've been eating before for the weight to come off so easily now that I'm eating healthier.

This thread is so motivating and reminds me to make healthier choices with food. I find that I eat healthy when I remember and this thread is helping me remember. Thanks everyone!
Ok now the weight loss has stopped. Time to really get into cutting calories or burning them through exercise. I don't have an easy way to estimate calories or do exercise which makes it tricky. I'm planning to drink at least a glass of water before every meal and snack (and ideally before anytime food passes through my lips). I think I eat more than I think I'm eating. The first eight pounds came off easy. Now the real struggle starts. I still need to cut 12 pounds to reach my first goal (highest pre pregnancy weight) and 18 pounds to reach my second goal (my normal BMI weight). Hoping the water trick helps.

Please suggest other tricks that have helped in reducing food portions (basically tricking myself to eat less and eat healthier) or exercising more (moving more). I currently walk 7k steps a day and do 5-10 stairs.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I especially love the eating fruits instead of sweets and using  shape wear ideas. I've also started concentrating on adding more protein to my diet (changed macros). My weight is still at standstill but it's at least not going up any more. I had one day (DH bday) where I had some cake but otherwise I'm starting to not be super tempted by sweets. I'm liking the progress even though the scales don't show it.... yet.

I'm also experimenting with eating only upto 80% of my stomach's capacity. Due to pregnancy eating, I fear my stomach has increased in size and I now need more food to feel satiated. I need to eat less to reduce it back to normal size. Will report back soon on its effects.

Thanks for the exercise tips. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to exercise. So I'm starting with the walking videos and hope to increase from there.

Weight - still at 8 lbs loss from New year, no gains, no loss from last time.

Any app recommendations to log weight and get trending weight for a period?

I've started eating more frequently (breakfast, 11, 1, 4, 6 and 8) but lesser portions. This has helped me keep hunger at bay while tricking my stomach into eating less at every meal (and not worry too much if I don't eat to max since I know the next meal is just two hours away). I hope this reduces my stomach size and bring it back to normal (from pregnancy size). I'm also drinking more water than before.

Exercise is still not happening yet :( got a jump rope to see if I can make myself use it.

Managed to knock out three more pounds after hitting a plateau for a week or so in between. That brings up tally to 11 pounds lost since new year. Hope this is the start of a new losing streak.
Checking in here. Still at the 11 pound loss, inching towards 12 pounds. I think I've finally found a way to figure out how much food is right for my stomach. I've been experimenting with food portions and frequent small meals with each time being less than my palm keeps me sated while not overloading my stomach. I also like the feeling I get when I don't stuff myself. Now to remember it for all the hard times (party, buffet, mom-cooked delicious dishes). A pound more to my first half goal. So close!
Welcome everyone! Especially new moms :) I'm one too and my goal is to lose pregnancy weight and get to a healthy weight now that baby is seven months and starting on solids. I still breastfeed exclusively but no longer have the pressure to be the sole food provider.

Weight still in the decline. Down 13 pounds from Jan 1 and I've reached my first goal. Now to stay here and lose more to reach my second goal of prepregnancy weight which is 6 pounds lesser. My eating has slacked a bit this week and I've been eating cakes and sweets more than I like (to celebrate my first goal). Need to get back to careful monitoring. I guess my weight loss rate would reduce a lot once I reach my prepregnancy weight since that is my usual weight range. But I want to lose another 15 pounds from there to get to my comfortable weight. I've always been lackadaisical about weight loss once I reach a healthy BMI but this time I'm going to try and lose those last 15 (those are my freshman 15 and have been around 12 years now).

I've also started doing mini exercises after trying to do dedicated half an hour to an hour of exercise and failing miserably. So far it's going good. Will report back next week if I can sustain it.
Holding steady at 13 pound decline. Not sure if it is a new plateau but I'm chalking it up to bad sleep due to baby being sick. As a result, I'm craving simple sugars to keep my energy going. That doesn't help in weight loss either. I've also taken to eating some almonds or cashewnuts when I wake in the middle of the night or as snacks which my body is not too happy about. Need to cut those extra calories and see if I can drink more water since my water drinking rate is abysmal.

The mini exercises are sticking! I have a goal to hit 5k steps before lunch and 8k by 8 pm and hopefully 10k by end of night. I do power walks to hit these goals. They won't strengthen muscles but my Fitbit shows my heartbeat rising enough to be classified as fat burn or cardio. I now need to find some strengthening exercises and work them in as mini exercises. Would love to hear if anyone does mini strength training exercises and what your experience has been.
Weight still holding at 155-156 (13-14 pound loss since Jan 1) for the past week. I think I'm at a plateau and am concentrating on more mini exercises. Sadly my food tracking and control has gone way down since I discovered cooking as a hobby (bad time to do it but I'm enjoying making new dishes for the family). Need to rein it in a bit. But I'm happy that I'm hitting my goals of 5k steps before lunch and 8k or 10k steps by nighttime. I've consistently gone over 8k that I'm considering upping it to 10k or 11k steps by nighttime. This will force me to get off my behind and actually play catch with my preschooler every evening.
Started downward trend again albeit slower this time. At 154 today.

My first goal was to hit 156 pounds (my heaviest before pregnancy), my second goal is to hit 151 (my weight before baby#2), my third goal is to hit 145 (my normal BMI), my fourth goal is to hit 138 (my lowest in the past 8 years) and my final goal is to hit 129 (the weight I feel most comfortable in). I'm happy to hit any of these weights but prefer to be around 130s and have exercises and food changes to be lifestyle changes rather than a one shot thing. To give some perspective, my highest was 199 lbs at 40 weeks pregnant.
Hit 153 after a few ups and downs (at 17 pound loss since Jan 1). So close to my goal#2 (151 pounds).

I've learned to add exercise to my schedule.
Back story: I hate exercise and just couldn't find time to do exercise every day. My toddler and baby served as convenient excuses. However, I also know I need to do it to keep myself toned. So I started running around the house every time I wanted a snack for 5-10 mins. I run in whatever clothes I'm wearing (mostly pajamas or home clothes) and since it's for such short durations, I don't put up big excuses. Also I don't have to look for childcare (my biggest excuse) since I can plop my toddler in front of an activity and my baby in crib with a toy and run (more a jog but it gets my heartbeat up at cardio levels so I'm not complaining). But my Fitbit confirms I'm getting 30 minutes of exercise which is 30 minutes over nothing.

Another awesome thing is my snack craving changes to water craving after a 5-10 minute run/jog. If it persists then I eat something.

Time to up Fitbit goals - upped exercise to 20 mins minimum and days of exercise to 3 days minimum, upped number of steps to 9k minimum per day and calories spent to 2k per day. I know it's a bit less than what I spend regularly but I want to be sure I'm hitting goals before I up them again.
Phew!!! Hit 151 finally! Finally at my prepregnancy weight, 8 months after my baby was out. I rapidly lost weight in first few weeks, then stalled for months at 170 and lost again starting this January (19 pounds). Hit a few plateaus but managed to lose again. In all, down almost 50 pounds (which included a 7 pound baby).

I think the mini exercises did the trick for me after my last plateau. I'm sure the exercise purists would balk at it but it works for me and avoids my excuse zones. Even though I would like to be one of the people that goes at a set time to the gym/home workout, my current lifestyle doesn't aid it. I'd rather do it this way than wait for the gym/home workout lifestyle to start.

Onward and upward to my next goal on list - 145 lbs which would mean I'm at the normal BMI after nearly two years. Can't wait to get there!
Was stuck at a plateau at 151 for a few days and then had one cheat day where I ate as usual but added a few sweets and BAM, back at 154. Feeling a bit down because of how easily I gained back the weight. I'm holding at 154 for the past two days. This is despite doing the mini exercises both days and being extra careful with eating.

The only silver lining is I'm going on a liquid/soft food diet for a week per doctor orders and I hope that moves the scales a bit closer to 140s.

Hit 150! (20 pounds down since January) Mostly it's due to the liquid/soft diet, so I'm guessing I'm drinking less calories than eating them. Doctor took me off it since I don't need it any longer. Now the challenge is to maintain/lose from here and not shoot up again even though I eat normal food.

I've always been chubby thanks to Mom and aunts and grandmothers who feel a chubby kid is a healthy kid, so even my lowest weight that I can remember is on the higher side of normal or even above normal. I currently have a goal of 129 which is in the middle of my BMI range. However I'm not sure if it's my final right weight. Would be interesting to know for sure.

This also means I'm just 5 more pounds to my third goal (145#) which would put me at the very top of normal. I usually swing between 140-150 pretty easily. So anything below 145 would be hard to lose and won't be in the same speed as what I've done these past two months. Oh well! One step at a time. Time to pedal towards 145.
Finally broke into 140s (149 today - lost 21 pounds since Jan 1). But I can see it's already harder since my weight has been jumping to 150-151 with even a small change from diet or exercise. I find I do best if I do one fairly longer mini exercise (atleast 20-25 minutes long - enough to get my heartbeat up at cardio levels for at least ten to twenty minutes) than do the same amount of steps broken over smaller mini exercises. However getting that 20-25 minutes is the hard part since I try to time it for baby sleep while kiddo is in preschool. A hit or miss most days. Trying to figure out if I can do it late in the night so I can get to it after everyone sleeps. But that is when my will power is lowest and I can't push myself to start. Well, I guess I need to haul myself and just do it.

Sunhat, I'm 4 pounds above my normal BMI (my next goal) as well and I can't wait to get there.  However I've learned that to keep the weight off, it's better to lose gradually than do a sudden jump. What has helped me was to make sure I give myself mini treats if I do my exercises or stick to my diet for x number of days. Usually the treats are a new book, a massage, y amount of kid and baby free time, etc. I also identified a bunch of clothes in smaller sizes that I love and every time I reach a smaller size, wear them with pleasure. As a result, I love dressing up now and feel so happy that I'm able to fit into my favorites. The rest, well I'll get there soon.

Candace, thanks for the encouragement!! Truly means a lot to me.
Checking in with weight at 146 (24 lbs down from Jan 1). I'm starting to get impatient as I get closer to my next goal (145#) but I realize that I need to enjoy this weight instead of getting frustrated since it might be quite sometime before I hit and STAY there consistently.

Candace, +1 for weight being nonlinear. It is frustrating to see a higher weight on the weigh in day since my weight sometimes goes up a pound or more and then settles down closer to new normal. I've started tracking my weight and taking a moving average so I don't get disappointed(and binge eat) if the scale moves in the wrong direction. Good luck!
I'm maintaining at 146 pretty consistently but haven't seen the needle go lower. I'm also starting to slip a bit with my diet. Need to rein it in. Patience is the word.

I'm curious how we'll know what our ideal weight is. I've always been on the chubbier side since childhood and don't really know what my normal healthy weight is (as adult or child or teen). When  I see people say they are 10 pounds above their ideal, I really want to know what mine is. How did you find your ideal weight?

StarBright

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3270
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #611 on: March 06, 2018, 08:00:33 AM »
Weekly-ish Weigh in:

December 30: 145
January 5:      144
January 12:    143.4
January 19:    143.8
January 26:    143.2
February 2:    142
February 15:   145
February 24:  143
March 6:        142.8

Spring is just around the corner everyone! It will be easier to exercise, we won't crave comfort food, more sunlight will help sleep and stress - hurray!

On feb 28th I received an email I had set up through futureme.org that reminded me that Feb and March are hard and to just hang on to spring. It was the reminder I needed.

I sent myself a new email to be delivered Feb 1 2019 - reminding myself that February is particularly hard on me, that self care is vital, and not to make any decisions about anything important until mid-April.

Hope everyone is having a great week!


Hirondelle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #612 on: March 06, 2018, 08:40:09 AM »
Spring is just around the corner everyone! It will be easier to exercise, we won't crave comfort food, more sunlight will help sleep and stress - hurray!


This is sooooo true! I already feel so different now compared to December (which was also a depressingly cloudy month in my country). Way less cravings for coffee and hot chocolate already. And easier to do morning workouts as I don't have to bike through the darkness.

Good job on the weight loss the past 3 weeks btw! Feb has been hard on you but you're back on track :)

dreadmoose

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 278
  • Age: 36
  • Location: Canada
  • Compounding
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #613 on: March 06, 2018, 10:50:01 AM »
I'm maintaining at 146 pretty consistently but haven't seen the needle go lower. I'm also starting to slip a bit with my diet. Need to rein it in. Patience is the word.

I'm curious how we'll know what our ideal weight is. I've always been on the chubbier side since childhood and don't really know what my normal healthy weight is (as adult or child or teen). When  I see people say they are 10 pounds above their ideal, I really want to know what mine is. How did you find your ideal weight?

The DW and I toyed with these concepts a lot last year (what are our ideal weights so we don't just diet forever).

I found it depends a lot on what you're losing weight for. If you want to look a certain way then the best option I found was to try and figure out body fat percentage (excellent guide here: http://www.kingofthegym.com/body-fat-percentage/) but if you want a general "what weight is good for me" there has been some study in the area leading to the formulas / calcultor here: http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html

At those weights you can still change how you look by losing fat / gaining muscle, but you can at least consider those weights "healthy" and work forward from there.

For the record I've always been heavier than I should be and my wife leaner than she should be, so we have countless discussions about this topic from both sides.

happy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9286
  • Location: NSW Australia
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #614 on: March 06, 2018, 03:58:46 PM »
Starting weight 96.5kg
Week 1 loss 0.8kg. (1lb 12 oz)....95.7kg
Week 2 loss 0.8 kg .................  94.9 kg......total 1.6kg
Week 3 gain 0.3kg ...................95.2 kg..............1.3kg

Sigh, this is what usually happens and about now I give up. I stick to the plan and  I don't lose weight.

I am so overweight I really have no option but to keep going. So I will. Hopefully its just a minor aberration.

Poundwise

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2076
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #615 on: March 06, 2018, 07:31:25 PM »
Didn't do so well last month. Don't want to weigh myself but even my "fat pants" won't close!  Need to check in here whenever I feel the urge to snack, and I will have to put in some exercise.  Must stop driving the clown car to school and get back to walking the kids. If there is school tomorrow (snow day anticipated) we will walk!

lexde

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2791
  • Age: 34
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #616 on: March 07, 2018, 05:23:23 AM »
2/1/18: 140.2. Going for 5lbs this month.
2/7/18: 138.6 (-1.6)
2/16/18: 137.8 (-0.8 ) 2.4lbs down total.
2/23/18: 136.2 (-1.6) 4.0lbs down this month, on track to hit my 5lb goal!
2/28/18: 135.0 (-1.2) 5.2lbs down this month, met my goal of 5lbs. Next goal is 4lbs for March.
3/7/18: 132.8 (-2.2) 2.2lbs down this month already and 7.4lbs down total. I was really surprised this morning that I had another “woosh” on the scale since I feel like I’ve been overeating and my body seems to be in a bit of a funk lately. But I guess not, so I’m going to stay the course.


G-dog

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 19094
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #617 on: March 07, 2018, 06:51:43 AM »
How cool @lexde !  Sorry your body has been in a funk, I know that feeling. Great to get good results regardless.

asiljoy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 407
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #618 on: March 07, 2018, 11:47:25 AM »
Starting weight 96.5kg
Week 1 loss 0.8kg. (1lb 12 oz)....95.7kg
Week 2 loss 0.8 kg .................  94.9 kg......total 1.6kg
Week 3 gain 0.3kg ...................95.2 kg..............1.3kg

Sigh, this is what usually happens and about now I give up. I stick to the plan and  I don't lose weight.

I am so overweight I really have no option but to keep going. So I will. Hopefully its just a minor aberration.

This is totally normal! Stay the course generally, but maybe try switching out something so the routine doesn't get stale? doesn't have to be a big switch, like if you usually walk by a lake, try indoors? just something that will keep your attention.

Thegoblinchief

  • Guest
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #619 on: March 09, 2018, 04:45:41 AM »
Weighed in at 207. If this isn’t a temporary blip it’s just 2 pounds more than my lowest ever adult weight.

Hirondelle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #620 on: March 09, 2018, 07:36:20 AM »
Weighed in at 207. If this isn’t a temporary blip it’s just 2 pounds more than my lowest ever adult weight.

Wohooo, that's awesome!

neophyte

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 631
  • Location: A wretched hive of scum and villainy
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #621 on: March 09, 2018, 08:27:43 AM »
Weighed in at 207. If this isn’t a temporary blip it’s just 2 pounds more than my lowest ever adult weight.

Awesome!  Getting past that benchmark feels great doesn't it?  I'm really struggling with my lack of progress, but I'm trying to temper my desire to consol myself with sugar by remembering that I still weigh less than I did in high school.

Thegoblinchief

  • Guest
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #622 on: March 09, 2018, 08:40:08 AM »
Weighed in at 207. If this isn’t a temporary blip it’s just 2 pounds more than my lowest ever adult weight.

Awesome!  Getting past that benchmark feels great doesn't it?  I'm really struggling with my lack of progress, but I'm trying to temper my desire to consol myself with sugar by remembering that I still weigh less than I did in high school.

Well, assuming the 207 sticks and it’s not a water weight blip like I’ve experienced in the past, it’s taken me six months to lose the last 8 pounds I’ve lost, so progress can be quite slow :)

G-dog

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 19094
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #623 on: March 09, 2018, 08:59:37 AM »
Weighed in at 207. If this isn’t a temporary blip it’s just 2 pounds more than my lowest ever adult weight.

Awesome!  Getting past that benchmark feels great doesn't it?  I'm really struggling with my lack of progress, but I'm trying to temper my desire to consol myself with sugar by remembering that I still weigh less than I did in high school.

That’s pretty major! It can be hard to remember past success as you move to the next goal.

elaine amj

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5548
  • Location: Ontario
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #624 on: March 09, 2018, 05:47:42 PM »
I'm back! I'm back!

I've been rather absent since I started this thread. I started January at 145lbs.

Unfortunately,  after a few attempts here and there, I ended up gaining weight instead. When I finally worked up the nerve to weigh myself this past weekend, I was a whopping 148 (I likely hit 150lbs at some point)

A very, very far cry from my low of 130 lbs last summer.

So frustrating.  Anyway, I have spent the past 2 weeks getting in 30-120mins of cardio almost every day (my body is aching lol) and being much more careful about portion sizes. This morning, I weighed in at 146.8lbs.

I'm on a mission to get back to 130lbs by the summer. While I was still a touch overweight (only 5ft tall), I felt great and had plenty of energy for all the outdoor activities I love so much. Plus it was nice to feel good in clothes :)

I plan to eat moderate portion sizes and make sure I do some cardio for at least 30 mins every day. Preferably longer.

The only problem is I am checking in here right before March Break. And while we have several sensible meals, we also have a few indulgences planned (my mom is baking lots of biscuits tonight and will bake brownies tomorrow!). I better get a lot of hiking in to make up for that.

Sent from my STH100-1 using Tapatalk


firelight

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #625 on: March 09, 2018, 07:47:16 PM »
I'd love to join too. I have baby fat to get rid of now that baby is five months old. I'm down 32 pounds from my highest of this year but that includes an 8 lb baby too, haha. I still need to lose 18 lbs for pre pregnancy weight and another 12 for my marriage wedding and another 14 for my ideal weight. I joined in 2017 and found we got pregnant. Hope to finish 2018 at my ideal weight. First goal is to get to pre pregnancy weight by end of March. Second goal is to hit wedding weight by June and to hit lowest weight by end of year (the hardest stretch which I hope to attack with established habits). Let's bring it on!


Like the idea of goals - here are our goals for Jan:
1) 5000 steps per day
2) 6 stairs per day
3) one meal of veggies and fruits only per day
Updating after two days:

I've lost two pounds - I'm sure it's more water weight than actual one but I'll take it :) I've cut out all carbs except for a tiny portion. Surprisingly it's not been that hard to switch. I've also noticed that I eat more sweets now (and ate some ice cream and sweets for new year). I usually hate sweets but developed a liking for them during my second pregnancy and am still holding on to it six months later. Time to kick the habit back to curb. My routine is crazy and I don't have much leeway into building in exercises. The only exercise I get is carrying a 17 lb baby. Has anyone lost weight only with diet changes? How important is exercise in a weight loss journey?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll concentrate on food changes till I can add more exercise in. I especially loved the suggestion to incorporate exercise into play and surprisingly my baby is loving it! I'm now trying to find more ways to add in fun exercise into daily routine.

My weight is down 3 lbs (mostly water weight because low carbs). I don't track my food but try to eat healthy (less carbs, more veggies and fruits) but looking at some of your meals, I think I just eat a lot. I've gotten used to eating more when pregnant (yep, fell for the eating for two advice.... not that I needed lot of encouragement)  and my stomach expects more food. Need to slowly dial down the amount to a normal person's portions.

Does anyone forget you are trying to lose weight? I completely forgot and ate a few cookies. Later when I was checking how I did at end of day, I realized I ate those cookies :( how do I remember all the time?
I'm still losing weight daily (goes to show how much crap I was eating before) but it has slowed down. My eating is still not good enough (I eat a serving of carbs at every course (and a bit more at lunch) and I eat ice cream or sweets because it is at home). My nemesis is sweets and ice cream. I can't resist it when it is at home and I can't stop others at home buying it. To add to the problem, I forget I'm on a diet and eat them. I'm considering figuring what I should eat all day and not eat anything not on that list. Will give it a try for a few days to see if I can continue losing weight.
Still on the losing trend. I was expecting it to stop since my activity level hasn't increased much and my eating is still not perfect. I don't count calories or have a chance to weigh  food since I don't cook or shop (visiting in-laws for a few months). I'm trying to eat healthier (less carbs, more fruits vegetables and protein - egg, fish, chicken) and reduce sweets (take smaller portions, being selective in what I eat). My culture (Indian) shows love through food, especially sweets. So every visit (even when visiting parents every day) leads to more sweets and hurt egos if we don't eat the sweets. So far portion control has been the key. I can't believe how much crap I've been eating before for the weight to come off so easily now that I'm eating healthier.

This thread is so motivating and reminds me to make healthier choices with food. I find that I eat healthy when I remember and this thread is helping me remember. Thanks everyone!
Ok now the weight loss has stopped. Time to really get into cutting calories or burning them through exercise. I don't have an easy way to estimate calories or do exercise which makes it tricky. I'm planning to drink at least a glass of water before every meal and snack (and ideally before anytime food passes through my lips). I think I eat more than I think I'm eating. The first eight pounds came off easy. Now the real struggle starts. I still need to cut 12 pounds to reach my first goal (highest pre pregnancy weight) and 18 pounds to reach my second goal (my normal BMI weight). Hoping the water trick helps.

Please suggest other tricks that have helped in reducing food portions (basically tricking myself to eat less and eat healthier) or exercising more (moving more). I currently walk 7k steps a day and do 5-10 stairs.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I especially love the eating fruits instead of sweets and using  shape wear ideas. I've also started concentrating on adding more protein to my diet (changed macros). My weight is still at standstill but it's at least not going up any more. I had one day (DH bday) where I had some cake but otherwise I'm starting to not be super tempted by sweets. I'm liking the progress even though the scales don't show it.... yet.

I'm also experimenting with eating only upto 80% of my stomach's capacity. Due to pregnancy eating, I fear my stomach has increased in size and I now need more food to feel satiated. I need to eat less to reduce it back to normal size. Will report back soon on its effects.

Thanks for the exercise tips. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to exercise. So I'm starting with the walking videos and hope to increase from there.

Weight - still at 8 lbs loss from New year, no gains, no loss from last time.

Any app recommendations to log weight and get trending weight for a period?

I've started eating more frequently (breakfast, 11, 1, 4, 6 and 8) but lesser portions. This has helped me keep hunger at bay while tricking my stomach into eating less at every meal (and not worry too much if I don't eat to max since I know the next meal is just two hours away). I hope this reduces my stomach size and bring it back to normal (from pregnancy size). I'm also drinking more water than before.

Exercise is still not happening yet :( got a jump rope to see if I can make myself use it.

Managed to knock out three more pounds after hitting a plateau for a week or so in between. That brings up tally to 11 pounds lost since new year. Hope this is the start of a new losing streak.
Checking in here. Still at the 11 pound loss, inching towards 12 pounds. I think I've finally found a way to figure out how much food is right for my stomach. I've been experimenting with food portions and frequent small meals with each time being less than my palm keeps me sated while not overloading my stomach. I also like the feeling I get when I don't stuff myself. Now to remember it for all the hard times (party, buffet, mom-cooked delicious dishes). A pound more to my first half goal. So close!
Welcome everyone! Especially new moms :) I'm one too and my goal is to lose pregnancy weight and get to a healthy weight now that baby is seven months and starting on solids. I still breastfeed exclusively but no longer have the pressure to be the sole food provider.

Weight still in the decline. Down 13 pounds from Jan 1 and I've reached my first goal. Now to stay here and lose more to reach my second goal of prepregnancy weight which is 6 pounds lesser. My eating has slacked a bit this week and I've been eating cakes and sweets more than I like (to celebrate my first goal). Need to get back to careful monitoring. I guess my weight loss rate would reduce a lot once I reach my prepregnancy weight since that is my usual weight range. But I want to lose another 15 pounds from there to get to my comfortable weight. I've always been lackadaisical about weight loss once I reach a healthy BMI but this time I'm going to try and lose those last 15 (those are my freshman 15 and have been around 12 years now).

I've also started doing mini exercises after trying to do dedicated half an hour to an hour of exercise and failing miserably. So far it's going good. Will report back next week if I can sustain it.
Holding steady at 13 pound decline. Not sure if it is a new plateau but I'm chalking it up to bad sleep due to baby being sick. As a result, I'm craving simple sugars to keep my energy going. That doesn't help in weight loss either. I've also taken to eating some almonds or cashewnuts when I wake in the middle of the night or as snacks which my body is not too happy about. Need to cut those extra calories and see if I can drink more water since my water drinking rate is abysmal.

The mini exercises are sticking! I have a goal to hit 5k steps before lunch and 8k by 8 pm and hopefully 10k by end of night. I do power walks to hit these goals. They won't strengthen muscles but my Fitbit shows my heartbeat rising enough to be classified as fat burn or cardio. I now need to find some strengthening exercises and work them in as mini exercises. Would love to hear if anyone does mini strength training exercises and what your experience has been.
Weight still holding at 155-156 (13-14 pound loss since Jan 1) for the past week. I think I'm at a plateau and am concentrating on more mini exercises. Sadly my food tracking and control has gone way down since I discovered cooking as a hobby (bad time to do it but I'm enjoying making new dishes for the family). Need to rein it in a bit. But I'm happy that I'm hitting my goals of 5k steps before lunch and 8k or 10k steps by nighttime. I've consistently gone over 8k that I'm considering upping it to 10k or 11k steps by nighttime. This will force me to get off my behind and actually play catch with my preschooler every evening.
Started downward trend again albeit slower this time. At 154 today.

My first goal was to hit 156 pounds (my heaviest before pregnancy), my second goal is to hit 151 (my weight before baby#2), my third goal is to hit 145 (my normal BMI), my fourth goal is to hit 138 (my lowest in the past 8 years) and my final goal is to hit 129 (the weight I feel most comfortable in). I'm happy to hit any of these weights but prefer to be around 130s and have exercises and food changes to be lifestyle changes rather than a one shot thing. To give some perspective, my highest was 199 lbs at 40 weeks pregnant.
Hit 153 after a few ups and downs (at 17 pound loss since Jan 1). So close to my goal#2 (151 pounds).

I've learned to add exercise to my schedule.
Back story: I hate exercise and just couldn't find time to do exercise every day. My toddler and baby served as convenient excuses. However, I also know I need to do it to keep myself toned. So I started running around the house every time I wanted a snack for 5-10 mins. I run in whatever clothes I'm wearing (mostly pajamas or home clothes) and since it's for such short durations, I don't put up big excuses. Also I don't have to look for childcare (my biggest excuse) since I can plop my toddler in front of an activity and my baby in crib with a toy and run (more a jog but it gets my heartbeat up at cardio levels so I'm not complaining). But my Fitbit confirms I'm getting 30 minutes of exercise which is 30 minutes over nothing.

Another awesome thing is my snack craving changes to water craving after a 5-10 minute run/jog. If it persists then I eat something.

Time to up Fitbit goals - upped exercise to 20 mins minimum and days of exercise to 3 days minimum, upped number of steps to 9k minimum per day and calories spent to 2k per day. I know it's a bit less than what I spend regularly but I want to be sure I'm hitting goals before I up them again.
Phew!!! Hit 151 finally! Finally at my prepregnancy weight, 8 months after my baby was out. I rapidly lost weight in first few weeks, then stalled for months at 170 and lost again starting this January (19 pounds). Hit a few plateaus but managed to lose again. In all, down almost 50 pounds (which included a 7 pound baby).

I think the mini exercises did the trick for me after my last plateau. I'm sure the exercise purists would balk at it but it works for me and avoids my excuse zones. Even though I would like to be one of the people that goes at a set time to the gym/home workout, my current lifestyle doesn't aid it. I'd rather do it this way than wait for the gym/home workout lifestyle to start.

Onward and upward to my next goal on list - 145 lbs which would mean I'm at the normal BMI after nearly two years. Can't wait to get there!
Was stuck at a plateau at 151 for a few days and then had one cheat day where I ate as usual but added a few sweets and BAM, back at 154. Feeling a bit down because of how easily I gained back the weight. I'm holding at 154 for the past two days. This is despite doing the mini exercises both days and being extra careful with eating.

The only silver lining is I'm going on a liquid/soft food diet for a week per doctor orders and I hope that moves the scales a bit closer to 140s.

Hit 150! (20 pounds down since January) Mostly it's due to the liquid/soft diet, so I'm guessing I'm drinking less calories than eating them. Doctor took me off it since I don't need it any longer. Now the challenge is to maintain/lose from here and not shoot up again even though I eat normal food.

I've always been chubby thanks to Mom and aunts and grandmothers who feel a chubby kid is a healthy kid, so even my lowest weight that I can remember is on the higher side of normal or even above normal. I currently have a goal of 129 which is in the middle of my BMI range. However I'm not sure if it's my final right weight. Would be interesting to know for sure.

This also means I'm just 5 more pounds to my third goal (145#) which would put me at the very top of normal. I usually swing between 140-150 pretty easily. So anything below 145 would be hard to lose and won't be in the same speed as what I've done these past two months. Oh well! One step at a time. Time to pedal towards 145.
Finally broke into 140s (149 today - lost 21 pounds since Jan 1). But I can see it's already harder since my weight has been jumping to 150-151 with even a small change from diet or exercise. I find I do best if I do one fairly longer mini exercise (atleast 20-25 minutes long - enough to get my heartbeat up at cardio levels for at least ten to twenty minutes) than do the same amount of steps broken over smaller mini exercises. However getting that 20-25 minutes is the hard part since I try to time it for baby sleep while kiddo is in preschool. A hit or miss most days. Trying to figure out if I can do it late in the night so I can get to it after everyone sleeps. But that is when my will power is lowest and I can't push myself to start. Well, I guess I need to haul myself and just do it.

Sunhat, I'm 4 pounds above my normal BMI (my next goal) as well and I can't wait to get there.  However I've learned that to keep the weight off, it's better to lose gradually than do a sudden jump. What has helped me was to make sure I give myself mini treats if I do my exercises or stick to my diet for x number of days. Usually the treats are a new book, a massage, y amount of kid and baby free time, etc. I also identified a bunch of clothes in smaller sizes that I love and every time I reach a smaller size, wear them with pleasure. As a result, I love dressing up now and feel so happy that I'm able to fit into my favorites. The rest, well I'll get there soon.

Candace, thanks for the encouragement!! Truly means a lot to me.
Checking in with weight at 146 (24 lbs down from Jan 1). I'm starting to get impatient as I get closer to my next goal (145#) but I realize that I need to enjoy this weight instead of getting frustrated since it might be quite sometime before I hit and STAY there consistently.

Candace, +1 for weight being nonlinear. It is frustrating to see a higher weight on the weigh in day since my weight sometimes goes up a pound or more and then settles down closer to new normal. I've started tracking my weight and taking a moving average so I don't get disappointed(and binge eat) if the scale moves in the wrong direction. Good luck!
I'm maintaining at 146 pretty consistently but haven't seen the needle go lower. I'm also starting to slip a bit with my diet. Need to rein it in. Patience is the word.

I'm curious how we'll know what our ideal weight is. I've always been on the chubbier side since childhood and don't really know what my normal healthy weight is (as adult or child or teen). When  I see people say they are 10 pounds above their ideal, I really want to know what mine is. How did you find your ideal weight?
Finally!!! Hit 145 today (25 pounds lost since Jan). Achieved my third goal of hitting normal BMI. I can't stop smiling everytime I think of it.

I have been oscillating between 146-148 and feeling heavy in general despite being careful in diet and doing mini exercises. I was feeling very dejected and thankfully the scales moved in the right direction today. Next goal is to hit 138 (goal#4) but I'm not really sure how long it'll take since I think I'm past my rapid weight loss stage (I've lost all my pregnancy weight and then some, usually it's super hard to lose weight once I hit my normal BMI). Now for a slow and steady journey towards next goal.

Dreadmoose, thank you so much for the links. According to the BMI link, I still have a long way to go (122 lbs, I don't even remember when I was that weight the last time :( ) and my body fat shows I'm in a healthy range. I have to do more digging to figure out if my weight loss goals are accurate.

ETA: thinking further, I do best if I'm close enough to a goal but not too close. The next goal (138#) intimidates me since I know the weight loss is going to slow down a lot and I don't want lose the motivation in the meantime. I'm going to add three mini goals (first at 144, second at 142 and third at 140) to keep the motivation intact while I attempt the next one. Wish me luck!
« Last Edit: March 09, 2018, 08:50:13 PM by firelight »

StarBright

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3270
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #626 on: March 10, 2018, 06:02:37 AM »
Weekly-ish Weigh in:

December 30: 145
January 5:      144
January 12:    143.4
January 19:    143.8
January 26:    143.2
February 2:    142
February 15:   145
February 24:  143
March 6:        142.8
March 10:       142

Back to regular posting schedule.

@elaine amj  - I'm so glad you are back! I was going to tag you last week and see how you were doing but then thought you might not want to be bothered. Welcome home :)

elaine amj

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5548
  • Location: Ontario
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #627 on: March 11, 2018, 08:05:24 AM »
@firelight Don't worry too much of the weight is a bit off from week to week. I found weight tends to hold steady for a bit (sometimes for 2-3 weeks) and then you'll get a big whoosh. If you know you're doing the right things, the main thing is to hang in there.

@Starbright awwww....thanks for thinking of me! We've been at this journey for a while now, haven't we?

I've regained a chunk of weight not once, but twice now! I think I really need to work at maintenance - and always and forever eating like a healthy person.  All this emotional binging is terrible for me. I'm currently actively working on eating more vegetables regularly.

The other night, I made a hamburger stroganoff from my fave Skinnytaste. Replaced half the ground beef with grated carrots (it tricks my brain!), the sour cream with plain yogurt, and the noodles with spiralized Butternut squash and spiralized daikon. Also added plenty of mushrooms. It was soooo good!! My daughter said it tasted cheesy :) :)

Hopped on my bike for the first time since December for an hour's bike ride only to find it's having problems beyond our ability to solve. Time to take it this guy I know who fixes up clunkers in his basement. Was too sore to do anything else other than a gentle walk with my mom and dog so there went yesterday's workout :(

Sent from my STH100-1 using Tapatalk
« Last Edit: March 11, 2018, 08:09:09 AM by elaine amj »

neophyte

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 631
  • Location: A wretched hive of scum and villainy
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #628 on: March 11, 2018, 08:28:44 AM »
Jan 30:  178
Feb 12:  174
Feb 19:  174
Feb 26:  174
March 4: 173.2
March 11:  174

God dammit!

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5581
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #629 on: March 11, 2018, 09:30:25 AM »
@elaine amj  - so glad you are back here.  Things are quiet in my forum world. 
I got myself back on track and have been eating quite well this past week.  I have been bringing the apples up from the cold cellar and putting them in the fruit bowl on the counter and using them as my snack of first choice.
I think the length of time it takes to eat an apple helps me feel more full.

I have gotten back down to 135 this past week but have been waking up in the night because I am hungry.  So the three pounds came off - but with some personal discomfort.
I wrote in my food journal for three days and then stopped. 
I have not had a soft drink this week.
I have had huge salads and lots of veg and fruit.
I did two big walks.
I did not stock the house with candy - but Easter is coming....

Thegoblinchief

  • Guest
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #630 on: March 11, 2018, 10:38:48 AM »
@elaine amj I like shredded zucchini/summer squash as a replacement/add in with ground meat, give it a try sometime.

lexde

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2791
  • Age: 34
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #631 on: March 11, 2018, 06:13:27 PM »
2/1/18: 140.2. Going for 5lbs this month.
2/7/18: 138.6 (-1.6)
2/16/18: 137.8 (-0.8 ) 2.4lbs down total.
2/23/18: 136.2 (-1.6) 4.0lbs down this month, on track to hit my 5lb goal!
2/28/18: 135.0 (-1.2) 5.2lbs down this month, met my goal of 5lbs. Next goal is 4lbs for March.
3/7/18: 132.8 (-2.2)
3/11/2018: 135.2 (+2.4) - weight loss is not linear. This is temporary so I’m looking forward to the next loss. :-)

alsoknownasDean

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2843
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #632 on: March 12, 2018, 03:49:49 AM »
Starting weight: 120.7kg
Last week's weight: 115.9kg
Current weight: 115.5kg

Happy with the continuing progress. Big weekend last weekend with sport (and next weekend), and I've been good today with food. Had five beers last night and some ice cream on Saturday night, but I've otherwise not been too bad.

I made a nice satay chicken and vegetable stir fry tonight, and had it without any noodles or rice. Nice and filling and of course getting more vegetables into my diet than I would if it was mostly noodles.

So that now makes 5kg down from the beginning of January. The jeans I bought in December that were feeling comfortable at the time are now a bit loose. I'll have to check if I'm on a different notch on the belt.

LifeHappens

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 12153
  • Location: Tampa-ish
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #633 on: March 12, 2018, 10:07:25 AM »
This is going to be a tough week. I dumped a bunch of feelings talk in my own journal, but basically I have a lot tasks to juggle, some of them are emotional and I'm not sleeping well at all. I'm going to skip fasting today and I doubt I'll get any formal exercise this week.

There are some positives:
1) I made a huge pot of veggie soup yesterday, so I have that for lunch.
2) The refrigerator is stocked with lots of produce. Our shopping cart yesterday was awesome. Lots of produce and other single ingredient foods. The meal plan is solid, with the veggie soup and crockpot full of chili. Buddha bowls are also on the menu.
3) I'll be getting a lot of movement in working on my house.
4) I'm taking at least this week off alcohol. It just hurts my sleep and is not helping my mood, so it needs to go.

elaine amj

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5548
  • Location: Ontario
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #634 on: March 13, 2018, 06:46:10 AM »
@frugal lizard I like the idea of "snacks of first choice"! Congrats on 135!!

@Harbingerofbunnies shredded zucchini / squash is a great idea for mixing up with ground meat. We go through a ton of carrots here so having an alternate veggie as a sub is much welcomed.

I still don't naturally eat enough veggies without pushing myself harder. The last two days of vacation, I've barely eaten any veggies other than sweet potato fries and a chickpea curry. I have plenty of salad greens in the fridge, but so far have refused to eat any.

I have been eating a bit a more (vacation after all!) but still getting in some walks every day so that helps. Also not completely overdoing snacks and treats. Hopefully will stay at maintenance this week.

Sent from my STH100-1 using Tapatalk


itchyfeet

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 985
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #635 on: March 15, 2018, 10:00:30 PM »
Starting weight: 120.7kg
Last week's weight: 115.9kg
Current weight: 115.5kg

Happy with the continuing progress. Big weekend last weekend with sport (and next weekend), and I've been good today with food. Had five beers last night and some ice cream on Saturday night, but I've otherwise not been too bad.

I made a nice satay chicken and vegetable stir fry tonight, and had it without any noodles or rice. Nice and filling and of course getting more vegetables into my diet than I would if it was mostly noodles.

So that now makes 5kg down from the beginning of January. The jeans I bought in December that were feeling comfortable at the time are now a bit loose. I'll have to check if I'm on a different notch on the belt.

Well done.

I am down a notch and a half (sometimes 1notch sometimes 2). And some pants I bought late  last year are a bit baggy now. People are commenting my face looks like I’ve lost a little weight too. So I suppose I have.

I refused to get on the scales the 2nd half of last year as I was getting so fat, so I don’t know how much I’ve lost. Maybe 4 or 5kgs like you.

I finally got on the scales last week. Pretty depressing, but at least ts a line in the sand. I’ll weigh myself again in a month or so. I am just trying to eat fairly healthy and exercise 3 or 4 days a week. I don’t want my yo-yoing weight when I eat/ drink out to play with my head. Stick to the process and the results will come.

asiljoy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 407
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #636 on: March 16, 2018, 06:58:10 AM »
Per Happy Scale I've lost 2 pounds. Logging food before I eat it seems to be an effective way to get myself to evaluate if I really need that blizzard. I didn't get to the gym 3 times last week, but I did do a class, lift twice, and did the walking desk enough so that beat my calorie burn goal each day. So gonna say yay for that.

Part of me wants to get really aggressive with this, but past habits tell me that's when I yo-yo. Yes 2 isn't a lot. Yes this is going to take time. It's about building a sustainable lifestyle and just making it a habit I don't even think about. I can do this. Stay the course!
Down 4 pounds in 18 days. So close to under 190. It's been slower than I'd like, but frankly it hasn't been that hard either. I think the forced logging before eating has been a good change for me. Usually when I have a crazy week at work, like this one, I would have gained a couple pounds through stress eating. While this week I didn't get the exercise I'd like, at least that stopped me from gaining weight.
Down 5 pounds in 30 days, but on the bright side I've also lost 1% fat. These changes are sustainable for me, BUT SO SLOW.
February was meh. Down another 1.5 that's permanent /non water related, but 28 to go.

Bright side? I think I found a routine that's sustainable workout wise and I'm starting to feel in control again. So yay! The habit app is stupid simple but apparently wanting to increase that bright green bar is enough to get me off my butt and the yoga app's 20 min sessions are really easy enough that I have no excuses.

Goal for March is 3.5 lbs, which will put me at 185, and to complete 18 yoga sessions. 1 down, 17 to go.
Half poundish down? Hard to tell. But my body is starting to feel less foreign/more like it did pre-baby. Yoga is getting less frustrating and that's been something I've been able to keep up with. I'd have to go count, but I think I'm at 10-11 sessions for the month; I haven't missed many days at all. I was finally brave enough to try the yoga class at work yesterday. Not gonna lie, doing yoga in front of co-workers was weird, but the teacher was great and I didn't embarrass myself.

elaine amj

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5548
  • Location: Ontario
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #637 on: March 16, 2018, 07:10:40 AM »
@itchyfeet @asiljoy That’s fantastic that the both of you are feeling like the weight is going down a bit. Even without precise measurements, obviously your healthy habits are paying off!

@asiljoy I know just how you feel with your body being slightly less foreign. I put on so much weight in such a short amount of time! But now I am taking very slow steps back to my “normal“ self.

I was pretty active yesterday - but for the first time in the last few weeks, didn’t end up with a super sore body. That was my exciting win for the day :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5581
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #638 on: March 16, 2018, 11:48:12 AM »
Weigh in was ok - still at 135 But at least the increasing has been halted.

Habits are not going well.  I think because it is March break and the kids are home and my partner started working through the dinner hour because it is now tax season, I am finding it hard to have a rhythm. 

use2betrix

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2492
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #639 on: March 16, 2018, 04:13:44 PM »
Was hovering around 190 lbs and maybe 12% body fat over the winter. Slowly cut down to 180 and probably around 8% BF. Now aiming for around 5-6% BF at around 173-175ish.

Losing weight can be a bit of a challenge but it’s not even remotely as miserable as trying to gain it (by putting on muscle, not fat)

Eating 1800 calories of healthy, balanced, timed foods a day is 1000x easier than eating 4000-5000 calories of the same foods. Sitting down to every meal still stuffed from the last one, knowing you HAVE to eat t. That’s what is miserable.

Thegoblinchief

  • Guest
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #640 on: March 16, 2018, 04:19:49 PM »
Was hovering around 190 lbs and maybe 12% body fat over the winter. Slowly cut down to 180 and probably around 8% BF. Now aiming for around 5-6% BF at around 173-175ish.

Losing weight can be a bit of a challenge but it’s not even remotely as miserable as trying to gain it (by putting on muscle, not fat)

Eating 1800 calories of healthy, balanced, timed foods a day is 1000x easier than eating 4000-5000 calories of the same foods. Sitting down to every meal still stuffed from the last one, knowing you HAVE to eat t. That’s what is miserable.

Why are you trying to be so low in BF? That’s not considered optimal for men or women, even elite athletes.

use2betrix

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2492
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #641 on: March 16, 2018, 05:41:54 PM »
Was hovering around 190 lbs and maybe 12% body fat over the winter. Slowly cut down to 180 and probably around 8% BF. Now aiming for around 5-6% BF at around 173-175ish.

Losing weight can be a bit of a challenge but it’s not even remotely as miserable as trying to gain it (by putting on muscle, not fat)

Eating 1800 calories of healthy, balanced, timed foods a day is 1000x easier than eating 4000-5000 calories of the same foods. Sitting down to every meal still stuffed from the last one, knowing you HAVE to eat t. That’s what is miserable.

Why are you trying to be so low in BF? That’s not considered optimal for men or women, even elite athletes.

There are definitely some elite male athletes in probably the 6% range. Bodybuilders get down to 2-3%. I just look at it as a personal goal for aesthetic reasons and just a challenge. It’s not maintainable unless someone does an insane amount of exercise or hardly eats. I’m doing it more for bodybuilding reasons (though I don’t compete). Maintaining 180-185 and around 8-10% BF isn’t bad though. I’m just shy of 5’10.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2018, 12:15:41 PM by use2betrix »

firelight

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #642 on: March 16, 2018, 08:04:37 PM »
I'd love to join too. I have baby fat to get rid of now that baby is five months old. I'm down 32 pounds from my highest of this year but that includes an 8 lb baby too, haha. I still need to lose 18 lbs for pre pregnancy weight and another 12 for my marriage wedding and another 14 for my ideal weight. I joined in 2017 and found we got pregnant. Hope to finish 2018 at my ideal weight. First goal is to get to pre pregnancy weight by end of March. Second goal is to hit wedding weight by June and to hit lowest weight by end of year (the hardest stretch which I hope to attack with established habits). Let's bring it on!


Like the idea of goals - here are our goals for Jan:
1) 5000 steps per day
2) 6 stairs per day
3) one meal of veggies and fruits only per day
Updating after two days:

I've lost two pounds - I'm sure it's more water weight than actual one but I'll take it :) I've cut out all carbs except for a tiny portion. Surprisingly it's not been that hard to switch. I've also noticed that I eat more sweets now (and ate some ice cream and sweets for new year). I usually hate sweets but developed a liking for them during my second pregnancy and am still holding on to it six months later. Time to kick the habit back to curb. My routine is crazy and I don't have much leeway into building in exercises. The only exercise I get is carrying a 17 lb baby. Has anyone lost weight only with diet changes? How important is exercise in a weight loss journey?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll concentrate on food changes till I can add more exercise in. I especially loved the suggestion to incorporate exercise into play and surprisingly my baby is loving it! I'm now trying to find more ways to add in fun exercise into daily routine.

My weight is down 3 lbs (mostly water weight because low carbs). I don't track my food but try to eat healthy (less carbs, more veggies and fruits) but looking at some of your meals, I think I just eat a lot. I've gotten used to eating more when pregnant (yep, fell for the eating for two advice.... not that I needed lot of encouragement)  and my stomach expects more food. Need to slowly dial down the amount to a normal person's portions.

Does anyone forget you are trying to lose weight? I completely forgot and ate a few cookies. Later when I was checking how I did at end of day, I realized I ate those cookies :( how do I remember all the time?
I'm still losing weight daily (goes to show how much crap I was eating before) but it has slowed down. My eating is still not good enough (I eat a serving of carbs at every course (and a bit more at lunch) and I eat ice cream or sweets because it is at home). My nemesis is sweets and ice cream. I can't resist it when it is at home and I can't stop others at home buying it. To add to the problem, I forget I'm on a diet and eat them. I'm considering figuring what I should eat all day and not eat anything not on that list. Will give it a try for a few days to see if I can continue losing weight.
Still on the losing trend. I was expecting it to stop since my activity level hasn't increased much and my eating is still not perfect. I don't count calories or have a chance to weigh  food since I don't cook or shop (visiting in-laws for a few months). I'm trying to eat healthier (less carbs, more fruits vegetables and protein - egg, fish, chicken) and reduce sweets (take smaller portions, being selective in what I eat). My culture (Indian) shows love through food, especially sweets. So every visit (even when visiting parents every day) leads to more sweets and hurt egos if we don't eat the sweets. So far portion control has been the key. I can't believe how much crap I've been eating before for the weight to come off so easily now that I'm eating healthier.

This thread is so motivating and reminds me to make healthier choices with food. I find that I eat healthy when I remember and this thread is helping me remember. Thanks everyone!
Ok now the weight loss has stopped. Time to really get into cutting calories or burning them through exercise. I don't have an easy way to estimate calories or do exercise which makes it tricky. I'm planning to drink at least a glass of water before every meal and snack (and ideally before anytime food passes through my lips). I think I eat more than I think I'm eating. The first eight pounds came off easy. Now the real struggle starts. I still need to cut 12 pounds to reach my first goal (highest pre pregnancy weight) and 18 pounds to reach my second goal (my normal BMI weight). Hoping the water trick helps.

Please suggest other tricks that have helped in reducing food portions (basically tricking myself to eat less and eat healthier) or exercising more (moving more). I currently walk 7k steps a day and do 5-10 stairs.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I especially love the eating fruits instead of sweets and using  shape wear ideas. I've also started concentrating on adding more protein to my diet (changed macros). My weight is still at standstill but it's at least not going up any more. I had one day (DH bday) where I had some cake but otherwise I'm starting to not be super tempted by sweets. I'm liking the progress even though the scales don't show it.... yet.

I'm also experimenting with eating only upto 80% of my stomach's capacity. Due to pregnancy eating, I fear my stomach has increased in size and I now need more food to feel satiated. I need to eat less to reduce it back to normal size. Will report back soon on its effects.

Thanks for the exercise tips. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to exercise. So I'm starting with the walking videos and hope to increase from there.

Weight - still at 8 lbs loss from New year, no gains, no loss from last time.

Any app recommendations to log weight and get trending weight for a period?

I've started eating more frequently (breakfast, 11, 1, 4, 6 and 8) but lesser portions. This has helped me keep hunger at bay while tricking my stomach into eating less at every meal (and not worry too much if I don't eat to max since I know the next meal is just two hours away). I hope this reduces my stomach size and bring it back to normal (from pregnancy size). I'm also drinking more water than before.

Exercise is still not happening yet :( got a jump rope to see if I can make myself use it.

Managed to knock out three more pounds after hitting a plateau for a week or so in between. That brings up tally to 11 pounds lost since new year. Hope this is the start of a new losing streak.
Checking in here. Still at the 11 pound loss, inching towards 12 pounds. I think I've finally found a way to figure out how much food is right for my stomach. I've been experimenting with food portions and frequent small meals with each time being less than my palm keeps me sated while not overloading my stomach. I also like the feeling I get when I don't stuff myself. Now to remember it for all the hard times (party, buffet, mom-cooked delicious dishes). A pound more to my first half goal. So close!
Welcome everyone! Especially new moms :) I'm one too and my goal is to lose pregnancy weight and get to a healthy weight now that baby is seven months and starting on solids. I still breastfeed exclusively but no longer have the pressure to be the sole food provider.

Weight still in the decline. Down 13 pounds from Jan 1 and I've reached my first goal. Now to stay here and lose more to reach my second goal of prepregnancy weight which is 6 pounds lesser. My eating has slacked a bit this week and I've been eating cakes and sweets more than I like (to celebrate my first goal). Need to get back to careful monitoring. I guess my weight loss rate would reduce a lot once I reach my prepregnancy weight since that is my usual weight range. But I want to lose another 15 pounds from there to get to my comfortable weight. I've always been lackadaisical about weight loss once I reach a healthy BMI but this time I'm going to try and lose those last 15 (those are my freshman 15 and have been around 12 years now).

I've also started doing mini exercises after trying to do dedicated half an hour to an hour of exercise and failing miserably. So far it's going good. Will report back next week if I can sustain it.
Holding steady at 13 pound decline. Not sure if it is a new plateau but I'm chalking it up to bad sleep due to baby being sick. As a result, I'm craving simple sugars to keep my energy going. That doesn't help in weight loss either. I've also taken to eating some almonds or cashewnuts when I wake in the middle of the night or as snacks which my body is not too happy about. Need to cut those extra calories and see if I can drink more water since my water drinking rate is abysmal.

The mini exercises are sticking! I have a goal to hit 5k steps before lunch and 8k by 8 pm and hopefully 10k by end of night. I do power walks to hit these goals. They won't strengthen muscles but my Fitbit shows my heartbeat rising enough to be classified as fat burn or cardio. I now need to find some strengthening exercises and work them in as mini exercises. Would love to hear if anyone does mini strength training exercises and what your experience has been.
Weight still holding at 155-156 (13-14 pound loss since Jan 1) for the past week. I think I'm at a plateau and am concentrating on more mini exercises. Sadly my food tracking and control has gone way down since I discovered cooking as a hobby (bad time to do it but I'm enjoying making new dishes for the family). Need to rein it in a bit. But I'm happy that I'm hitting my goals of 5k steps before lunch and 8k or 10k steps by nighttime. I've consistently gone over 8k that I'm considering upping it to 10k or 11k steps by nighttime. This will force me to get off my behind and actually play catch with my preschooler every evening.
Started downward trend again albeit slower this time. At 154 today.

My first goal was to hit 156 pounds (my heaviest before pregnancy), my second goal is to hit 151 (my weight before baby#2), my third goal is to hit 145 (my normal BMI), my fourth goal is to hit 138 (my lowest in the past 8 years) and my final goal is to hit 129 (the weight I feel most comfortable in). I'm happy to hit any of these weights but prefer to be around 130s and have exercises and food changes to be lifestyle changes rather than a one shot thing. To give some perspective, my highest was 199 lbs at 40 weeks pregnant.
Hit 153 after a few ups and downs (at 17 pound loss since Jan 1). So close to my goal#2 (151 pounds).

I've learned to add exercise to my schedule.
Back story: I hate exercise and just couldn't find time to do exercise every day. My toddler and baby served as convenient excuses. However, I also know I need to do it to keep myself toned. So I started running around the house every time I wanted a snack for 5-10 mins. I run in whatever clothes I'm wearing (mostly pajamas or home clothes) and since it's for such short durations, I don't put up big excuses. Also I don't have to look for childcare (my biggest excuse) since I can plop my toddler in front of an activity and my baby in crib with a toy and run (more a jog but it gets my heartbeat up at cardio levels so I'm not complaining). But my Fitbit confirms I'm getting 30 minutes of exercise which is 30 minutes over nothing.

Another awesome thing is my snack craving changes to water craving after a 5-10 minute run/jog. If it persists then I eat something.

Time to up Fitbit goals - upped exercise to 20 mins minimum and days of exercise to 3 days minimum, upped number of steps to 9k minimum per day and calories spent to 2k per day. I know it's a bit less than what I spend regularly but I want to be sure I'm hitting goals before I up them again.
Phew!!! Hit 151 finally! Finally at my prepregnancy weight, 8 months after my baby was out. I rapidly lost weight in first few weeks, then stalled for months at 170 and lost again starting this January (19 pounds). Hit a few plateaus but managed to lose again. In all, down almost 50 pounds (which included a 7 pound baby).

I think the mini exercises did the trick for me after my last plateau. I'm sure the exercise purists would balk at it but it works for me and avoids my excuse zones. Even though I would like to be one of the people that goes at a set time to the gym/home workout, my current lifestyle doesn't aid it. I'd rather do it this way than wait for the gym/home workout lifestyle to start.

Onward and upward to my next goal on list - 145 lbs which would mean I'm at the normal BMI after nearly two years. Can't wait to get there!
Was stuck at a plateau at 151 for a few days and then had one cheat day where I ate as usual but added a few sweets and BAM, back at 154. Feeling a bit down because of how easily I gained back the weight. I'm holding at 154 for the past two days. This is despite doing the mini exercises both days and being extra careful with eating.

The only silver lining is I'm going on a liquid/soft food diet for a week per doctor orders and I hope that moves the scales a bit closer to 140s.

Hit 150! (20 pounds down since January) Mostly it's due to the liquid/soft diet, so I'm guessing I'm drinking less calories than eating them. Doctor took me off it since I don't need it any longer. Now the challenge is to maintain/lose from here and not shoot up again even though I eat normal food.

I've always been chubby thanks to Mom and aunts and grandmothers who feel a chubby kid is a healthy kid, so even my lowest weight that I can remember is on the higher side of normal or even above normal. I currently have a goal of 129 which is in the middle of my BMI range. However I'm not sure if it's my final right weight. Would be interesting to know for sure.

This also means I'm just 5 more pounds to my third goal (145#) which would put me at the very top of normal. I usually swing between 140-150 pretty easily. So anything below 145 would be hard to lose and won't be in the same speed as what I've done these past two months. Oh well! One step at a time. Time to pedal towards 145.
Finally broke into 140s (149 today - lost 21 pounds since Jan 1). But I can see it's already harder since my weight has been jumping to 150-151 with even a small change from diet or exercise. I find I do best if I do one fairly longer mini exercise (atleast 20-25 minutes long - enough to get my heartbeat up at cardio levels for at least ten to twenty minutes) than do the same amount of steps broken over smaller mini exercises. However getting that 20-25 minutes is the hard part since I try to time it for baby sleep while kiddo is in preschool. A hit or miss most days. Trying to figure out if I can do it late in the night so I can get to it after everyone sleeps. But that is when my will power is lowest and I can't push myself to start. Well, I guess I need to haul myself and just do it.

Sunhat, I'm 4 pounds above my normal BMI (my next goal) as well and I can't wait to get there.  However I've learned that to keep the weight off, it's better to lose gradually than do a sudden jump. What has helped me was to make sure I give myself mini treats if I do my exercises or stick to my diet for x number of days. Usually the treats are a new book, a massage, y amount of kid and baby free time, etc. I also identified a bunch of clothes in smaller sizes that I love and every time I reach a smaller size, wear them with pleasure. As a result, I love dressing up now and feel so happy that I'm able to fit into my favorites. The rest, well I'll get there soon.

Candace, thanks for the encouragement!! Truly means a lot to me.
Checking in with weight at 146 (24 lbs down from Jan 1). I'm starting to get impatient as I get closer to my next goal (145#) but I realize that I need to enjoy this weight instead of getting frustrated since it might be quite sometime before I hit and STAY there consistently.

Candace, +1 for weight being nonlinear. It is frustrating to see a higher weight on the weigh in day since my weight sometimes goes up a pound or more and then settles down closer to new normal. I've started tracking my weight and taking a moving average so I don't get disappointed(and binge eat) if the scale moves in the wrong direction. Good luck!
I'm maintaining at 146 pretty consistently but haven't seen the needle go lower. I'm also starting to slip a bit with my diet. Need to rein it in. Patience is the word.

I'm curious how we'll know what our ideal weight is. I've always been on the chubbier side since childhood and don't really know what my normal healthy weight is (as adult or child or teen). When  I see people say they are 10 pounds above their ideal, I really want to know what mine is. How did you find your ideal weight?
Finally!!! Hit 145 today (25 pounds lost since Jan). Achieved my third goal of hitting normal BMI. I can't stop smiling everytime I think of it.

I have been oscillating between 146-148 and feeling heavy in general despite being careful in diet and doing mini exercises. I was feeling very dejected and thankfully the scales moved in the right direction today. Next goal is to hit 138 (goal#4) but I'm not really sure how long it'll take since I think I'm past my rapid weight loss stage (I've lost all my pregnancy weight and then some, usually it's super hard to lose weight once I hit my normal BMI). Now for a slow and steady journey towards next goal.

Dreadmoose, thank you so much for the links. According to the BMI link, I still have a long way to go (122 lbs, I don't even remember when I was that weight the last time :( ) and my body fat shows I'm in a healthy range. I have to do more digging to figure out if my weight loss goals are accurate.

ETA: thinking further, I do best if I'm close enough to a goal but not too close. The next goal (138#) intimidates me since I know the weight loss is going to slow down a lot and I don't want lose the motivation in the meantime. I'm going to add three mini goals (first at 144, second at 142 and third at 140) to keep the motivation intact while I attempt the next one. Wish me luck!
Checking in at 144 (26 pounds lost since Jan 1)! My first minigoal reached. Definitely harder to lose this one pound compared to a pound lost in Jan. But I'm pumped to hit my first mini goal! Next on list is 142. Onward and upward!

elaine_amj, welcome back! Missed you here!

elaine amj

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5548
  • Location: Ontario
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #643 on: March 17, 2018, 05:47:47 PM »
I'd love to join too. I have baby fat to get rid of now that baby is five months old. I'm down 32 pounds from my highest of this year but that includes an 8 lb baby too, haha. I still need to lose 18 lbs for pre pregnancy weight and another 12 for my marriage wedding and another 14 for my ideal weight. I joined in 2017 and found we got pregnant. Hope to finish 2018 at my ideal weight. First goal is to get to pre pregnancy weight by end of March. Second goal is to hit wedding weight by June and to hit lowest weight by end of year (the hardest stretch which I hope to attack with established habits). Let's bring it on!


Like the idea of goals - here are our goals for Jan:
1) 5000 steps per day
2) 6 stairs per day
3) one meal of veggies and fruits only per day
Updating after two days:

I've lost two pounds - I'm sure it's more water weight than actual one but I'll take it :) I've cut out all carbs except for a tiny portion. Surprisingly it's not been that hard to switch. I've also noticed that I eat more sweets now (and ate some ice cream and sweets for new year). I usually hate sweets but developed a liking for them during my second pregnancy and am still holding on to it six months later. Time to kick the habit back to curb. My routine is crazy and I don't have much leeway into building in exercises. The only exercise I get is carrying a 17 lb baby. Has anyone lost weight only with diet changes? How important is exercise in a weight loss journey?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll concentrate on food changes till I can add more exercise in. I especially loved the suggestion to incorporate exercise into play and surprisingly my baby is loving it! I'm now trying to find more ways to add in fun exercise into daily routine.

My weight is down 3 lbs (mostly water weight because low carbs). I don't track my food but try to eat healthy (less carbs, more veggies and fruits) but looking at some of your meals, I think I just eat a lot. I've gotten used to eating more when pregnant (yep, fell for the eating for two advice.... not that I needed lot of encouragement)  and my stomach expects more food. Need to slowly dial down the amount to a normal person's portions.

Does anyone forget you are trying to lose weight? I completely forgot and ate a few cookies. Later when I was checking how I did at end of day, I realized I ate those cookies :( how do I remember all the time?
I'm still losing weight daily (goes to show how much crap I was eating before) but it has slowed down. My eating is still not good enough (I eat a serving of carbs at every course (and a bit more at lunch) and I eat ice cream or sweets because it is at home). My nemesis is sweets and ice cream. I can't resist it when it is at home and I can't stop others at home buying it. To add to the problem, I forget I'm on a diet and eat them. I'm considering figuring what I should eat all day and not eat anything not on that list. Will give it a try for a few days to see if I can continue losing weight.
Still on the losing trend. I was expecting it to stop since my activity level hasn't increased much and my eating is still not perfect. I don't count calories or have a chance to weigh  food since I don't cook or shop (visiting in-laws for a few months). I'm trying to eat healthier (less carbs, more fruits vegetables and protein - egg, fish, chicken) and reduce sweets (take smaller portions, being selective in what I eat). My culture (Indian) shows love through food, especially sweets. So every visit (even when visiting parents every day) leads to more sweets and hurt egos if we don't eat the sweets. So far portion control has been the key. I can't believe how much crap I've been eating before for the weight to come off so easily now that I'm eating healthier.

This thread is so motivating and reminds me to make healthier choices with food. I find that I eat healthy when I remember and this thread is helping me remember. Thanks everyone!
Ok now the weight loss has stopped. Time to really get into cutting calories or burning them through exercise. I don't have an easy way to estimate calories or do exercise which makes it tricky. I'm planning to drink at least a glass of water before every meal and snack (and ideally before anytime food passes through my lips). I think I eat more than I think I'm eating. The first eight pounds came off easy. Now the real struggle starts. I still need to cut 12 pounds to reach my first goal (highest pre pregnancy weight) and 18 pounds to reach my second goal (my normal BMI weight). Hoping the water trick helps.

Please suggest other tricks that have helped in reducing food portions (basically tricking myself to eat less and eat healthier) or exercising more (moving more). I currently walk 7k steps a day and do 5-10 stairs.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I especially love the eating fruits instead of sweets and using  shape wear ideas. I've also started concentrating on adding more protein to my diet (changed macros). My weight is still at standstill but it's at least not going up any more. I had one day (DH bday) where I had some cake but otherwise I'm starting to not be super tempted by sweets. I'm liking the progress even though the scales don't show it.... yet.

I'm also experimenting with eating only upto 80% of my stomach's capacity. Due to pregnancy eating, I fear my stomach has increased in size and I now need more food to feel satiated. I need to eat less to reduce it back to normal size. Will report back soon on its effects.

Thanks for the exercise tips. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to exercise. So I'm starting with the walking videos and hope to increase from there.

Weight - still at 8 lbs loss from New year, no gains, no loss from last time.

Any app recommendations to log weight and get trending weight for a period?

I've started eating more frequently (breakfast, 11, 1, 4, 6 and 8) but lesser portions. This has helped me keep hunger at bay while tricking my stomach into eating less at every meal (and not worry too much if I don't eat to max since I know the next meal is just two hours away). I hope this reduces my stomach size and bring it back to normal (from pregnancy size). I'm also drinking more water than before.

Exercise is still not happening yet :( got a jump rope to see if I can make myself use it.

Managed to knock out three more pounds after hitting a plateau for a week or so in between. That brings up tally to 11 pounds lost since new year. Hope this is the start of a new losing streak.
Checking in here. Still at the 11 pound loss, inching towards 12 pounds. I think I've finally found a way to figure out how much food is right for my stomach. I've been experimenting with food portions and frequent small meals with each time being less than my palm keeps me sated while not overloading my stomach. I also like the feeling I get when I don't stuff myself. Now to remember it for all the hard times (party, buffet, mom-cooked delicious dishes). A pound more to my first half goal. So close!
Welcome everyone! Especially new moms :) I'm one too and my goal is to lose pregnancy weight and get to a healthy weight now that baby is seven months and starting on solids. I still breastfeed exclusively but no longer have the pressure to be the sole food provider.

Weight still in the decline. Down 13 pounds from Jan 1 and I've reached my first goal. Now to stay here and lose more to reach my second goal of prepregnancy weight which is 6 pounds lesser. My eating has slacked a bit this week and I've been eating cakes and sweets more than I like (to celebrate my first goal). Need to get back to careful monitoring. I guess my weight loss rate would reduce a lot once I reach my prepregnancy weight since that is my usual weight range. But I want to lose another 15 pounds from there to get to my comfortable weight. I've always been lackadaisical about weight loss once I reach a healthy BMI but this time I'm going to try and lose those last 15 (those are my freshman 15 and have been around 12 years now).

I've also started doing mini exercises after trying to do dedicated half an hour to an hour of exercise and failing miserably. So far it's going good. Will report back next week if I can sustain it.
Holding steady at 13 pound decline. Not sure if it is a new plateau but I'm chalking it up to bad sleep due to baby being sick. As a result, I'm craving simple sugars to keep my energy going. That doesn't help in weight loss either. I've also taken to eating some almonds or cashewnuts when I wake in the middle of the night or as snacks which my body is not too happy about. Need to cut those extra calories and see if I can drink more water since my water drinking rate is abysmal.

The mini exercises are sticking! I have a goal to hit 5k steps before lunch and 8k by 8 pm and hopefully 10k by end of night. I do power walks to hit these goals. They won't strengthen muscles but my Fitbit shows my heartbeat rising enough to be classified as fat burn or cardio. I now need to find some strengthening exercises and work them in as mini exercises. Would love to hear if anyone does mini strength training exercises and what your experience has been.
Weight still holding at 155-156 (13-14 pound loss since Jan 1) for the past week. I think I'm at a plateau and am concentrating on more mini exercises. Sadly my food tracking and control has gone way down since I discovered cooking as a hobby (bad time to do it but I'm enjoying making new dishes for the family). Need to rein it in a bit. But I'm happy that I'm hitting my goals of 5k steps before lunch and 8k or 10k steps by nighttime. I've consistently gone over 8k that I'm considering upping it to 10k or 11k steps by nighttime. This will force me to get off my behind and actually play catch with my preschooler every evening.
Started downward trend again albeit slower this time. At 154 today.

My first goal was to hit 156 pounds (my heaviest before pregnancy), my second goal is to hit 151 (my weight before baby#2), my third goal is to hit 145 (my normal BMI), my fourth goal is to hit 138 (my lowest in the past 8 years) and my final goal is to hit 129 (the weight I feel most comfortable in). I'm happy to hit any of these weights but prefer to be around 130s and have exercises and food changes to be lifestyle changes rather than a one shot thing. To give some perspective, my highest was 199 lbs at 40 weeks pregnant.
Hit 153 after a few ups and downs (at 17 pound loss since Jan 1). So close to my goal#2 (151 pounds).

I've learned to add exercise to my schedule.
Back story: I hate exercise and just couldn't find time to do exercise every day. My toddler and baby served as convenient excuses. However, I also know I need to do it to keep myself toned. So I started running around the house every time I wanted a snack for 5-10 mins. I run in whatever clothes I'm wearing (mostly pajamas or home clothes) and since it's for such short durations, I don't put up big excuses. Also I don't have to look for childcare (my biggest excuse) since I can plop my toddler in front of an activity and my baby in crib with a toy and run (more a jog but it gets my heartbeat up at cardio levels so I'm not complaining). But my Fitbit confirms I'm getting 30 minutes of exercise which is 30 minutes over nothing.

Another awesome thing is my snack craving changes to water craving after a 5-10 minute run/jog. If it persists then I eat something.

Time to up Fitbit goals - upped exercise to 20 mins minimum and days of exercise to 3 days minimum, upped number of steps to 9k minimum per day and calories spent to 2k per day. I know it's a bit less than what I spend regularly but I want to be sure I'm hitting goals before I up them again.
Phew!!! Hit 151 finally! Finally at my prepregnancy weight, 8 months after my baby was out. I rapidly lost weight in first few weeks, then stalled for months at 170 and lost again starting this January (19 pounds). Hit a few plateaus but managed to lose again. In all, down almost 50 pounds (which included a 7 pound baby).

I think the mini exercises did the trick for me after my last plateau. I'm sure the exercise purists would balk at it but it works for me and avoids my excuse zones. Even though I would like to be one of the people that goes at a set time to the gym/home workout, my current lifestyle doesn't aid it. I'd rather do it this way than wait for the gym/home workout lifestyle to start.

Onward and upward to my next goal on list - 145 lbs which would mean I'm at the normal BMI after nearly two years. Can't wait to get there!
Was stuck at a plateau at 151 for a few days and then had one cheat day where I ate as usual but added a few sweets and BAM, back at 154. Feeling a bit down because of how easily I gained back the weight. I'm holding at 154 for the past two days. This is despite doing the mini exercises both days and being extra careful with eating.

The only silver lining is I'm going on a liquid/soft food diet for a week per doctor orders and I hope that moves the scales a bit closer to 140s.

Hit 150! (20 pounds down since January) Mostly it's due to the liquid/soft diet, so I'm guessing I'm drinking less calories than eating them. Doctor took me off it since I don't need it any longer. Now the challenge is to maintain/lose from here and not shoot up again even though I eat normal food.

I've always been chubby thanks to Mom and aunts and grandmothers who feel a chubby kid is a healthy kid, so even my lowest weight that I can remember is on the higher side of normal or even above normal. I currently have a goal of 129 which is in the middle of my BMI range. However I'm not sure if it's my final right weight. Would be interesting to know for sure.

This also means I'm just 5 more pounds to my third goal (145#) which would put me at the very top of normal. I usually swing between 140-150 pretty easily. So anything below 145 would be hard to lose and won't be in the same speed as what I've done these past two months. Oh well! One step at a time. Time to pedal towards 145.
Finally broke into 140s (149 today - lost 21 pounds since Jan 1). But I can see it's already harder since my weight has been jumping to 150-151 with even a small change from diet or exercise. I find I do best if I do one fairly longer mini exercise (atleast 20-25 minutes long - enough to get my heartbeat up at cardio levels for at least ten to twenty minutes) than do the same amount of steps broken over smaller mini exercises. However getting that 20-25 minutes is the hard part since I try to time it for baby sleep while kiddo is in preschool. A hit or miss most days. Trying to figure out if I can do it late in the night so I can get to it after everyone sleeps. But that is when my will power is lowest and I can't push myself to start. Well, I guess I need to haul myself and just do it.

Sunhat, I'm 4 pounds above my normal BMI (my next goal) as well and I can't wait to get there.  However I've learned that to keep the weight off, it's better to lose gradually than do a sudden jump. What has helped me was to make sure I give myself mini treats if I do my exercises or stick to my diet for x number of days. Usually the treats are a new book, a massage, y amount of kid and baby free time, etc. I also identified a bunch of clothes in smaller sizes that I love and every time I reach a smaller size, wear them with pleasure. As a result, I love dressing up now and feel so happy that I'm able to fit into my favorites. The rest, well I'll get there soon.

Candace, thanks for the encouragement!! Truly means a lot to me.
Checking in with weight at 146 (24 lbs down from Jan 1). I'm starting to get impatient as I get closer to my next goal (145#) but I realize that I need to enjoy this weight instead of getting frustrated since it might be quite sometime before I hit and STAY there consistently.

Candace, +1 for weight being nonlinear. It is frustrating to see a higher weight on the weigh in day since my weight sometimes goes up a pound or more and then settles down closer to new normal. I've started tracking my weight and taking a moving average so I don't get disappointed(and binge eat) if the scale moves in the wrong direction. Good luck!
I'm maintaining at 146 pretty consistently but haven't seen the needle go lower. I'm also starting to slip a bit with my diet. Need to rein it in. Patience is the word.

I'm curious how we'll know what our ideal weight is. I've always been on the chubbier side since childhood and don't really know what my normal healthy weight is (as adult or child or teen). When  I see people say they are 10 pounds above their ideal, I really want to know what mine is. How did you find your ideal weight?
Finally!!! Hit 145 today (25 pounds lost since Jan). Achieved my third goal of hitting normal BMI. I can't stop smiling everytime I think of it.

I have been oscillating between 146-148 and feeling heavy in general despite being careful in diet and doing mini exercises. I was feeling very dejected and thankfully the scales moved in the right direction today. Next goal is to hit 138 (goal#4) but I'm not really sure how long it'll take since I think I'm past my rapid weight loss stage (I've lost all my pregnancy weight and then some, usually it's super hard to lose weight once I hit my normal BMI). Now for a slow and steady journey towards next goal.

Dreadmoose, thank you so much for the links. According to the BMI link, I still have a long way to go (122 lbs, I don't even remember when I was that weight the last time :( ) and my body fat shows I'm in a healthy range. I have to do more digging to figure out if my weight loss goals are accurate.

ETA: thinking further, I do best if I'm close enough to a goal but not too close. The next goal (138#) intimidates me since I know the weight loss is going to slow down a lot and I don't want lose the motivation in the meantime. I'm going to add three mini goals (first at 144, second at 142 and third at 140) to keep the motivation intact while I attempt the next one. Wish me luck!
Checking in at 144 (26 pounds lost since Jan 1)! My first minigoal reached. Definitely harder to lose this one pound compared to a pound lost in Jan. But I'm pumped to hit my first mini goal! Next on list is 142. Onward and upward!

elaine_amj, welcome back! Missed you here!
That is hugely impressive!!! 

Sent from my STH100-1 using Tapatalk


nnls

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1132
  • Location: Perth, AU
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #644 on: March 18, 2018, 01:49:20 AM »
I have lost about 5kg since mid January, with my goal to lose another 7 (and get down to about 55kg)

I am going on holiday to Europe for 5 weeks from next week so I think I may undo my progress, but we will see.

I am posting for motivation :)

firelight

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #645 on: March 18, 2018, 03:55:22 AM »
I'd love to join too. I have baby fat to get rid of now that baby is five months old. I'm down 32 pounds from my highest of this year but that includes an 8 lb baby too, haha. I still need to lose 18 lbs for pre pregnancy weight and another 12 for my marriage wedding and another 14 for my ideal weight. I joined in 2017 and found we got pregnant. Hope to finish 2018 at my ideal weight. First goal is to get to pre pregnancy weight by end of March. Second goal is to hit wedding weight by June and to hit lowest weight by end of year (the hardest stretch which I hope to attack with established habits). Let's bring it on!


Like the idea of goals - here are our goals for Jan:
1) 5000 steps per day
2) 6 stairs per day
3) one meal of veggies and fruits only per day
Updating after two days:

I've lost two pounds - I'm sure it's more water weight than actual one but I'll take it :) I've cut out all carbs except for a tiny portion. Surprisingly it's not been that hard to switch. I've also noticed that I eat more sweets now (and ate some ice cream and sweets for new year). I usually hate sweets but developed a liking for them during my second pregnancy and am still holding on to it six months later. Time to kick the habit back to curb. My routine is crazy and I don't have much leeway into building in exercises. The only exercise I get is carrying a 17 lb baby. Has anyone lost weight only with diet changes? How important is exercise in a weight loss journey?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll concentrate on food changes till I can add more exercise in. I especially loved the suggestion to incorporate exercise into play and surprisingly my baby is loving it! I'm now trying to find more ways to add in fun exercise into daily routine.

My weight is down 3 lbs (mostly water weight because low carbs). I don't track my food but try to eat healthy (less carbs, more veggies and fruits) but looking at some of your meals, I think I just eat a lot. I've gotten used to eating more when pregnant (yep, fell for the eating for two advice.... not that I needed lot of encouragement)  and my stomach expects more food. Need to slowly dial down the amount to a normal person's portions.

Does anyone forget you are trying to lose weight? I completely forgot and ate a few cookies. Later when I was checking how I did at end of day, I realized I ate those cookies :( how do I remember all the time?
I'm still losing weight daily (goes to show how much crap I was eating before) but it has slowed down. My eating is still not good enough (I eat a serving of carbs at every course (and a bit more at lunch) and I eat ice cream or sweets because it is at home). My nemesis is sweets and ice cream. I can't resist it when it is at home and I can't stop others at home buying it. To add to the problem, I forget I'm on a diet and eat them. I'm considering figuring what I should eat all day and not eat anything not on that list. Will give it a try for a few days to see if I can continue losing weight.
Still on the losing trend. I was expecting it to stop since my activity level hasn't increased much and my eating is still not perfect. I don't count calories or have a chance to weigh  food since I don't cook or shop (visiting in-laws for a few months). I'm trying to eat healthier (less carbs, more fruits vegetables and protein - egg, fish, chicken) and reduce sweets (take smaller portions, being selective in what I eat). My culture (Indian) shows love through food, especially sweets. So every visit (even when visiting parents every day) leads to more sweets and hurt egos if we don't eat the sweets. So far portion control has been the key. I can't believe how much crap I've been eating before for the weight to come off so easily now that I'm eating healthier.

This thread is so motivating and reminds me to make healthier choices with food. I find that I eat healthy when I remember and this thread is helping me remember. Thanks everyone!
Ok now the weight loss has stopped. Time to really get into cutting calories or burning them through exercise. I don't have an easy way to estimate calories or do exercise which makes it tricky. I'm planning to drink at least a glass of water before every meal and snack (and ideally before anytime food passes through my lips). I think I eat more than I think I'm eating. The first eight pounds came off easy. Now the real struggle starts. I still need to cut 12 pounds to reach my first goal (highest pre pregnancy weight) and 18 pounds to reach my second goal (my normal BMI weight). Hoping the water trick helps.

Please suggest other tricks that have helped in reducing food portions (basically tricking myself to eat less and eat healthier) or exercising more (moving more). I currently walk 7k steps a day and do 5-10 stairs.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I especially love the eating fruits instead of sweets and using  shape wear ideas. I've also started concentrating on adding more protein to my diet (changed macros). My weight is still at standstill but it's at least not going up any more. I had one day (DH bday) where I had some cake but otherwise I'm starting to not be super tempted by sweets. I'm liking the progress even though the scales don't show it.... yet.

I'm also experimenting with eating only upto 80% of my stomach's capacity. Due to pregnancy eating, I fear my stomach has increased in size and I now need more food to feel satiated. I need to eat less to reduce it back to normal size. Will report back soon on its effects.

Thanks for the exercise tips. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to exercise. So I'm starting with the walking videos and hope to increase from there.

Weight - still at 8 lbs loss from New year, no gains, no loss from last time.

Any app recommendations to log weight and get trending weight for a period?

I've started eating more frequently (breakfast, 11, 1, 4, 6 and 8) but lesser portions. This has helped me keep hunger at bay while tricking my stomach into eating less at every meal (and not worry too much if I don't eat to max since I know the next meal is just two hours away). I hope this reduces my stomach size and bring it back to normal (from pregnancy size). I'm also drinking more water than before.

Exercise is still not happening yet :( got a jump rope to see if I can make myself use it.

Managed to knock out three more pounds after hitting a plateau for a week or so in between. That brings up tally to 11 pounds lost since new year. Hope this is the start of a new losing streak.
Checking in here. Still at the 11 pound loss, inching towards 12 pounds. I think I've finally found a way to figure out how much food is right for my stomach. I've been experimenting with food portions and frequent small meals with each time being less than my palm keeps me sated while not overloading my stomach. I also like the feeling I get when I don't stuff myself. Now to remember it for all the hard times (party, buffet, mom-cooked delicious dishes). A pound more to my first half goal. So close!
Welcome everyone! Especially new moms :) I'm one too and my goal is to lose pregnancy weight and get to a healthy weight now that baby is seven months and starting on solids. I still breastfeed exclusively but no longer have the pressure to be the sole food provider.

Weight still in the decline. Down 13 pounds from Jan 1 and I've reached my first goal. Now to stay here and lose more to reach my second goal of prepregnancy weight which is 6 pounds lesser. My eating has slacked a bit this week and I've been eating cakes and sweets more than I like (to celebrate my first goal). Need to get back to careful monitoring. I guess my weight loss rate would reduce a lot once I reach my prepregnancy weight since that is my usual weight range. But I want to lose another 15 pounds from there to get to my comfortable weight. I've always been lackadaisical about weight loss once I reach a healthy BMI but this time I'm going to try and lose those last 15 (those are my freshman 15 and have been around 12 years now).

I've also started doing mini exercises after trying to do dedicated half an hour to an hour of exercise and failing miserably. So far it's going good. Will report back next week if I can sustain it.
Holding steady at 13 pound decline. Not sure if it is a new plateau but I'm chalking it up to bad sleep due to baby being sick. As a result, I'm craving simple sugars to keep my energy going. That doesn't help in weight loss either. I've also taken to eating some almonds or cashewnuts when I wake in the middle of the night or as snacks which my body is not too happy about. Need to cut those extra calories and see if I can drink more water since my water drinking rate is abysmal.

The mini exercises are sticking! I have a goal to hit 5k steps before lunch and 8k by 8 pm and hopefully 10k by end of night. I do power walks to hit these goals. They won't strengthen muscles but my Fitbit shows my heartbeat rising enough to be classified as fat burn or cardio. I now need to find some strengthening exercises and work them in as mini exercises. Would love to hear if anyone does mini strength training exercises and what your experience has been.
Weight still holding at 155-156 (13-14 pound loss since Jan 1) for the past week. I think I'm at a plateau and am concentrating on more mini exercises. Sadly my food tracking and control has gone way down since I discovered cooking as a hobby (bad time to do it but I'm enjoying making new dishes for the family). Need to rein it in a bit. But I'm happy that I'm hitting my goals of 5k steps before lunch and 8k or 10k steps by nighttime. I've consistently gone over 8k that I'm considering upping it to 10k or 11k steps by nighttime. This will force me to get off my behind and actually play catch with my preschooler every evening.
Started downward trend again albeit slower this time. At 154 today.

My first goal was to hit 156 pounds (my heaviest before pregnancy), my second goal is to hit 151 (my weight before baby#2), my third goal is to hit 145 (my normal BMI), my fourth goal is to hit 138 (my lowest in the past 8 years) and my final goal is to hit 129 (the weight I feel most comfortable in). I'm happy to hit any of these weights but prefer to be around 130s and have exercises and food changes to be lifestyle changes rather than a one shot thing. To give some perspective, my highest was 199 lbs at 40 weeks pregnant.
Hit 153 after a few ups and downs (at 17 pound loss since Jan 1). So close to my goal#2 (151 pounds).

I've learned to add exercise to my schedule.
Back story: I hate exercise and just couldn't find time to do exercise every day. My toddler and baby served as convenient excuses. However, I also know I need to do it to keep myself toned. So I started running around the house every time I wanted a snack for 5-10 mins. I run in whatever clothes I'm wearing (mostly pajamas or home clothes) and since it's for such short durations, I don't put up big excuses. Also I don't have to look for childcare (my biggest excuse) since I can plop my toddler in front of an activity and my baby in crib with a toy and run (more a jog but it gets my heartbeat up at cardio levels so I'm not complaining). But my Fitbit confirms I'm getting 30 minutes of exercise which is 30 minutes over nothing.

Another awesome thing is my snack craving changes to water craving after a 5-10 minute run/jog. If it persists then I eat something.

Time to up Fitbit goals - upped exercise to 20 mins minimum and days of exercise to 3 days minimum, upped number of steps to 9k minimum per day and calories spent to 2k per day. I know it's a bit less than what I spend regularly but I want to be sure I'm hitting goals before I up them again.
Phew!!! Hit 151 finally! Finally at my prepregnancy weight, 8 months after my baby was out. I rapidly lost weight in first few weeks, then stalled for months at 170 and lost again starting this January (19 pounds). Hit a few plateaus but managed to lose again. In all, down almost 50 pounds (which included a 7 pound baby).

I think the mini exercises did the trick for me after my last plateau. I'm sure the exercise purists would balk at it but it works for me and avoids my excuse zones. Even though I would like to be one of the people that goes at a set time to the gym/home workout, my current lifestyle doesn't aid it. I'd rather do it this way than wait for the gym/home workout lifestyle to start.

Onward and upward to my next goal on list - 145 lbs which would mean I'm at the normal BMI after nearly two years. Can't wait to get there!
Was stuck at a plateau at 151 for a few days and then had one cheat day where I ate as usual but added a few sweets and BAM, back at 154. Feeling a bit down because of how easily I gained back the weight. I'm holding at 154 for the past two days. This is despite doing the mini exercises both days and being extra careful with eating.

The only silver lining is I'm going on a liquid/soft food diet for a week per doctor orders and I hope that moves the scales a bit closer to 140s.

Hit 150! (20 pounds down since January) Mostly it's due to the liquid/soft diet, so I'm guessing I'm drinking less calories than eating them. Doctor took me off it since I don't need it any longer. Now the challenge is to maintain/lose from here and not shoot up again even though I eat normal food.

I've always been chubby thanks to Mom and aunts and grandmothers who feel a chubby kid is a healthy kid, so even my lowest weight that I can remember is on the higher side of normal or even above normal. I currently have a goal of 129 which is in the middle of my BMI range. However I'm not sure if it's my final right weight. Would be interesting to know for sure.

This also means I'm just 5 more pounds to my third goal (145#) which would put me at the very top of normal. I usually swing between 140-150 pretty easily. So anything below 145 would be hard to lose and won't be in the same speed as what I've done these past two months. Oh well! One step at a time. Time to pedal towards 145.
Finally broke into 140s (149 today - lost 21 pounds since Jan 1). But I can see it's already harder since my weight has been jumping to 150-151 with even a small change from diet or exercise. I find I do best if I do one fairly longer mini exercise (atleast 20-25 minutes long - enough to get my heartbeat up at cardio levels for at least ten to twenty minutes) than do the same amount of steps broken over smaller mini exercises. However getting that 20-25 minutes is the hard part since I try to time it for baby sleep while kiddo is in preschool. A hit or miss most days. Trying to figure out if I can do it late in the night so I can get to it after everyone sleeps. But that is when my will power is lowest and I can't push myself to start. Well, I guess I need to haul myself and just do it.

Sunhat, I'm 4 pounds above my normal BMI (my next goal) as well and I can't wait to get there.  However I've learned that to keep the weight off, it's better to lose gradually than do a sudden jump. What has helped me was to make sure I give myself mini treats if I do my exercises or stick to my diet for x number of days. Usually the treats are a new book, a massage, y amount of kid and baby free time, etc. I also identified a bunch of clothes in smaller sizes that I love and every time I reach a smaller size, wear them with pleasure. As a result, I love dressing up now and feel so happy that I'm able to fit into my favorites. The rest, well I'll get there soon.

Candace, thanks for the encouragement!! Truly means a lot to me.
Checking in with weight at 146 (24 lbs down from Jan 1). I'm starting to get impatient as I get closer to my next goal (145#) but I realize that I need to enjoy this weight instead of getting frustrated since it might be quite sometime before I hit and STAY there consistently.

Candace, +1 for weight being nonlinear. It is frustrating to see a higher weight on the weigh in day since my weight sometimes goes up a pound or more and then settles down closer to new normal. I've started tracking my weight and taking a moving average so I don't get disappointed(and binge eat) if the scale moves in the wrong direction. Good luck!
I'm maintaining at 146 pretty consistently but haven't seen the needle go lower. I'm also starting to slip a bit with my diet. Need to rein it in. Patience is the word.

I'm curious how we'll know what our ideal weight is. I've always been on the chubbier side since childhood and don't really know what my normal healthy weight is (as adult or child or teen). When  I see people say they are 10 pounds above their ideal, I really want to know what mine is. How did you find your ideal weight?
Finally!!! Hit 145 today (25 pounds lost since Jan). Achieved my third goal of hitting normal BMI. I can't stop smiling everytime I think of it.

I have been oscillating between 146-148 and feeling heavy in general despite being careful in diet and doing mini exercises. I was feeling very dejected and thankfully the scales moved in the right direction today. Next goal is to hit 138 (goal#4) but I'm not really sure how long it'll take since I think I'm past my rapid weight loss stage (I've lost all my pregnancy weight and then some, usually it's super hard to lose weight once I hit my normal BMI). Now for a slow and steady journey towards next goal.

Dreadmoose, thank you so much for the links. According to the BMI link, I still have a long way to go (122 lbs, I don't even remember when I was that weight the last time :( ) and my body fat shows I'm in a healthy range. I have to do more digging to figure out if my weight loss goals are accurate.

ETA: thinking further, I do best if I'm close enough to a goal but not too close. The next goal (138#) intimidates me since I know the weight loss is going to slow down a lot and I don't want lose the motivation in the meantime. I'm going to add three mini goals (first at 144, second at 142 and third at 140) to keep the motivation intact while I attempt the next one. Wish me luck!
Checking in at 144 (26 pounds lost since Jan 1)! My first minigoal reached. Definitely harder to lose this one pound compared to a pound lost in Jan. But I'm pumped to hit my first mini goal! Next on list is 142. Onward and upward!

elaine_amj, welcome back! Missed you here!
Ok, I think I've found the secret of rapid weight loss (for me anyways). Have both kids be sick for more than a week --> run on low sleep (2/3 hours a day) --> don't have much energy to junk on food --> weight loss. Down to 142 pounds (second mini goal and 28 pounds down from Jan 1). I know I've not lost two pounds in two days! It should be more a mix of fatigued muscles, less food overall, loss of water weight, etc. Next in line is my third minigoal (140 pounds). But I'm expecting a rebound once kids start sleeping through. I just hope I don't go up too much and am able to maintain it here.

Elaine_amj, thank you so much! To be fair, almost all of it was my pregnancy weight, so clean eating coupled with light but regular exercise helped drop the pounds fast. I usually oscillate between 140 and 150 easily so anything below 145 are the pounds I really need to work hard to lose.

jimsteets

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 5
  • Age: 36
  • Location: MA / RI
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #646 on: March 18, 2018, 04:05:44 AM »
The less meat, diary, oils, processed foods you eat the more weight your will lose and the more health you will gain.

Also look the cost of a head of broccoli vrs a box of pop tarts next time your at the grocery store.

neophyte

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 631
  • Location: A wretched hive of scum and villainy
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #647 on: March 18, 2018, 11:08:40 AM »
Jan 30:  178
Feb 12:  174
Feb 19:  174
Feb 26:  174
March 4: 173.2
March 11:  174
March 18:  172.4

I'm not happy with my progress, but I've gotten religious about tracking calories (tracking, not meeting goals yet though), workouts, and a few other things and I'm getting good data.  I wanted to just throw in the towel this morning, but data collection is my main motivator at this point.

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5351
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #648 on: March 19, 2018, 07:15:44 AM »
I had a rough couple of weeks, but I'm back & committing to weighing in regularly. After evaluating my progress, eating, etc, it's clear that I do well on "regular days". I eat within my calorie range, & work out. However, the number of "non-regular days" have been much higher than I'd expected, and when you average the total calories, the number of "non-regular days" erases the progress of regular days. I'd expected "non-regular days" to maybe be 10% of my total. For March, at least, they are about 1/2 of the total. March has been totally crazy, but I'm now clear on what's going on & why I'm making no progress.

StarBright

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3270
Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #649 on: March 21, 2018, 06:05:25 AM »
Jan 30:  178
Feb 12:  174
Feb 19:  174
Feb 26:  174
March 4: 173.2
March 11:  174
March 18:  172.4

I'm not happy with my progress, but I've gotten religious about tracking calories (tracking, not meeting goals yet though), workouts, and a few other things and I'm getting good data.  I wanted to just throw in the towel this morning, but data collection is my main motivator at this point.

@neophyte you are doing great! If I recall, slow loss is more likely to be permanent loss and data collection is a very worthy goal! I'm in year 3 of data collection and I know so much more about my body, my metabolism, my cravings, etc. than when I started this process.